Lots of Watts in the swim with their new Martin MACIII
Lots of Watts were one of the first Australian production companies to purchase the Martin MACIII which offers a perfect balance between a superior feature list and ultimate performance. This high-output profile spot combines a new 1500 watt lamp technology with superb optical efficiency, a new design and great feel to take moving head performance to a higher level.
“We always like to keep up to date with our equipment and to meet our client’s requests for brighter, punchier lights,” said Daniel Munroe, Lots of Watt’s Production Manager. “I believe that our client’s will also love the new gobo set. We purchased eight MACIII’s and they’re great; the gobos look fantastic and the intensity of them beats, by far, anything else on the market at the moment. Of course, there’s also that Martin reputation for reliability.”
Upon delivery the MACIII’s were put to the test at One HD's live coverage of the two day swimming meet ‘Duel in the Pool’ featuring Australia and Japan and held in Canberra's AIS Pool.
Josh Moffat of All Things Technical was contracted to commission and design the lighting for the event, working alongside regular associate and veteran TV Lighting Director Tom Carey.
”It was an unusual situation with some very odd constraints to work with,” said Josh. “The venue had a very low roof combined with minimal weight capacity and sections where the daylight comes in across parts of the pool.”
The system comprised of a run of MAC2000 profiles and MAC2000 washes as well as the MACIII's on a run of scaffolding along the length of the pool behind the seats. Above the inhouse gantry five six metre trusses were rigged supporting MAC700 washes and MAC700 spots.
”The MAC’s were chosen for the reason that ambient lighting was constantly changing throughout the day and also we were not able to see how even the wash was until the first race,” remarked Josh. “In the end we had five cues along the pool so we were effectively following the swimmers up and down to keep the light levels constant and up to broadcast standards.
”This was especially important as there were super slow-motion cameras as well as the titles keyed over the lanes. The system was controlled from a site shed outside as space in the venue was scarce - let alone when a twenty camera OB moves in! Plasmas with multi-viewers and a couple of Hot Head cameras facilitated vision.”
Josh used his console of choice: as always a full size grandMA running through a NSP Node with a MA Ultralite for tracking backup and remote programming in the venue.
"The Lots of Watts crew went above and beyond on this event as we had a very tight schedule and the conditions were far from ideal,” Josh commented. “As always, the Martin Fixtures performed flawlessly and it was good to have the MACIII's in the rig as they helped fill in the gaps - they are so punchy and crisp and didn't miss a beat."
www.showtech.com.au

Coemar Equipment Returns to Australia with Bytecraft
Bytecraft Entertainment have entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Coemar, bringing a whole new suite of lighting technology not seen before in Australia.
Coemar are one of the world’s major manufacturers of Entertainment lighting with a proven track record of innovative research and development and their own manufacturing plant in Northern Italy.
With the likes of Pink and AC/DC touring with significant amounts of Coemar gear, Bytecraft was invited to look at the full range of Coemar equipment. Although it would be fair to say that the Coemar brand has not made great in roads on this side of the world, this lighting manufacturer is now focused on “cutting edge” lighting R&D – and the proof of this lies in the quality of the current range. Bytecraft have been very happy with results after directly testing this claim on tour with Pink, and with a range of models now in Australia.
According to John Grimshaw, the National Sales Manager for Bytecraft, the results of testing were very interesting:
“Our service and hire staff was asked specifically to fault the products in comparison to other comparable lights. To then find the Coemar gear meets and often exceeds the specifications and quality of all other brands was surprising to say the least – but to achieve this AND be cost competitive is a perfect match.”
Of particular interest is the Infinity S 300w range; including a profile with full CMY, zoom, and iris and 575w equivalent output capabilities in a small 300w package. Also, some innovative CycLite and StageLite LED solutions for Cyclorama and impressive eye-catching effects, and the iWash Halo which is a very price competitive tungsten wash light with impressive zoom and output. This is just the start of a very solid range of solutions.
The full catalogue is available to download from the Coemar website www.coemar.com
www.byteent.com.au

Doughty Engineering Now Available from Bytecraft
Bytecraft Entertainment are now able to offer the extensive range of Doughty Engineering equipment. The Doughty range includes high quality clamps, brackets, pulleys and other hardware. All Doughty suspension equipment is fully load rated, safety compliant (TUV and/or British standards where appropriate) , and stamped with their SWL so this huge range of equipment will exceed the safety requirements of your venue’s hardware needs.
Bytecraft will be stocking a select range of this equipment, though any element from the range can be supplied as required. Traditionally, Doughty is the hardware of choice for technicians in the entertainment industry that must ensure the reliability and safety of their attachment equipment and for the performers and audience who trust in the correct rigging of the equipment.
While this type of assurance normally comes at great expense, Bytecraft has been able to leverage better prices along with smarter freight to be able to deliver this range at a more affordable level – particularly where a project has a reasonable lead time.
For more information about the full range of Doughty equipment, check out the website at: www.doughty-engineering.co.uk
www.byteent.com.au

BCL install Martin MAC250’s into Spring Street Christian Church
Brisbane’s Spring Street Christian Church was keen to add some moving lights to their production inventory and so they approached Brisbane Concert Lighting for guidance. Naturally the neat and effective package of two Martin MAC250 Kryptons and two MAC250 Washes was recommended.
”They were after a moving head fixture that was compatible with what else is available in hire stock so they could expand their rig when necessary,” commented Sam Walter of Brisbane Concert Lighting. “Martin MAC’s are the easiest moving heads to hire as everyone has them. Power consumption and light output were big issues. They don’t have a good power supply to their auditorium but fortunately it does have a low ceiling height so the MAC250’s were the ideal choice.”
www.showtech.com.au

ETC Ion 2000 In The Glasshouse
The recently opened Glasshouse in Port Macquarie, NSW, is a unique purpose built building comprising of a 606 seat Performing Arts Theatre/Concert Hall, 140 seat Studio/Rehearsal space, 600m2 Regional Gallery across three levels, 1820s heritage displays, conference areas, meeting rooms, and cafe / bar.
The Glasshouse theatre has been specifically designed to provide a high quality experience including tiered seating (stalls and dress circle) for an unimpeded view of the stage, comfortable seating, disability support facilities and wheelchair access, energy efficient climate control, full fly tower and technically advanced lighting and acoustics.
With a versatile layout and high tech facilities, the Glasshouse is also designed to cater to a range of activities – from business presentations through to social events – capable of hosting conferences of up to 600 people, large and small meetings, training workshops, product launches, industry expos, presentation and awards ceremonies.
Each year, the Glasshouse will present performances by national touring companies, providing the finest representations of theatre, music, opera, cabaret, comedy and dance – under the banner of On Tour @ The Glasshouse.
The fact that many touring productions would be visiting the Glasshouse was a major consideration when choosing a lighting console that would best suit the venue.
“We saw that theatre companies such as Belvoir and Bells Shakespeare had ETC consoles, so it made sense to also travel down that road,” commented Belinda Gibson, Venue Operations Manager. “However we did seek a lot of industry advice from lighting programmers and operators before making a choice. The majority of the feedback indicated that the ETC Ion and Eos consoles were the preferred console. Given our price point in the market, it was decided that the Ion 2000 was a good console for our venue.”
Sean O’Brian, the Glasshouse’s chief lighting operator, has had a lot of experience with many consoles and he is delighted with the ETC Ion, describing it as very user-friendly to any operator.
“One of the key features required for a regional theatre like ours is good file conversion from a Strand console to an ETC console,” he remarked. “The other console feature I really like is that file access is easy. I’m extremely happy with the Ion 2000 – it has some great features and is very versatile. It’s also a good console for an inexperienced lighting operator too. Really, it’s ideal; for a regional theatre.”
www.jands.com.au

Alive Technology Group Embraces the Future
Click on image to enlarge

Tasmania based Production Company, Alive Technology Group has chosen new technology from ULA consisting of VuePix P18 LED Panels, Robe ColorSpot 700E AT and formidable Robe Digital Spot 7000DT in strong indication that lighting rental companies in particular are embracing the potential of this technology, especially digital lighting fixtures - even amidst economically challenging times.
Alive Tech offer complete lighting, sound and audio visual services for corporate and entertainment clients both within Tasmania and Australia wide. Managing Director David Bell says “clients are already choosing to use our services because of the recent addition to our lighting inventory”.
David continues, “The Robe 700 series is equal if not superior to others on the market in a comparable price range. We had no other fixtures with the zoom range, power and portability that the Robe ColorSpot 700E AT’s offer. The features of this fixture give us an edge over our competitors that our clients appreciate. The feedback from our clients and staff has been fantastic”.
Alive Tech’s staff have not stopped commenting on the Robe ColorSpot 700E AT’s stating “the handles are easy to use”, “they are so fast” and “the zoom is amazing!” “We have never had corporate clients requesting a particular kind of moving light by name before, and this is what they are doing with the new 700 fixture” says David.
The Robe Digital Spot 7000DT is a unique product, and Alive Tech’s first foray into the future of lighting projection technology. David’s first comment once he viewed a demonstration of the DigitalSpot 7000DT – “Lets just say that some of the features blew us away!”. These fixtures too are taking numerous bookings for upcoming jobs, as regular clients look forward to the flexibility they can offer.
VuePix P18 panels were selected as David was looking for a semi-transparent LED screen that offers indoor and outdoor usability. “Having an 18mm pitch with a SMD LED unit at a competitive price is exactly what we needed to have in our hire inventory”. David continues, “VuePix gives us the ability to design and create a number of different scenarios or atmospheres for both our corporate and entertainment clients, offering a caliber that has not yet been seen in Tasmania”.
Alive Tech’s VuePix screen is currently on tour with the Choice Home Loans national conference road show. David said that his clients are so impressed with the screens that they are extremely disappointed if it’s not available because it’s booked on another event.
“We are confident that our use of these new products on jobs so far has not only added to the quality and impact on these jobs but has also significantly increased our chance of obtaining future work from those clients” says David.
David concludes saying, “All the products delivered by ULA have been everything and more than we expected. They have all performed well and have drawn positive comments from all the clients organising the jobs where they have been used. We have particularly appreciated the help from ULA in the initial setting up and operating of the VuePix screen. Any delivery, technical or functional problems have been resolved more than satisfactorily and the ULA staff are always a pleasure to deal with.”
www.ulagroup.com

JLX have lunch on Strand
This Strand SP60 lighting desk was rescued from the skip bin at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music a number of years ago by one of our crew; it was the original control desk back when the Conservatorium was at Gardens Point before moving to Southbank. The desk now takes pride and place in our office and has been made into our lunch table.
The SP (Standard Preset) range of preset control desks were available in the 1970's and came in a number of frame sizes. 60 and 80 channel versions were very popular in medium to large size theatres. The SP60 was a 3 preset desk, with three horizontal rows of faders and associated masters. Each channel could also be switched to either an A or B fader. This feature allowed a single preset state to be split into two groups - handy if mid scene some active channels have to be faded out or brought in. This avoided wasting an entire preset to do a fairly simple operation. Some versions also had a master inhibit fader from a block of channels - often FOH circuits, enabling all FOH channels to be dimmed out - useful if there is a need to quickly light the stage, but not the house tabs. The 80 channel version was bigger in length. One of the snags of increasing the channel count is that the desk becomes wider than arms reach.
www.jlx.com.au

ETC The Preferred Console For MTC
MTC’s new theatre is one of the first theatres in Victoria to make the jump to the new generation of ETC lighting consoles: a 4000ch Eos and a 2000ch Ion, coupled with RPU (backup PC), client PC’s, RVI (remote video interface) and Net3 four port gateway makes for a very flexible and powerful control system.
“The console itself is a very user-friendly piece of hardware to sit behind every day,” said Brett (Smiley) Mellor, Lighting Supervisor Melbourne Theatre Company. “The keypad feel, direct selects overlays for touch screens and positive feedback, plus fine and coarse function on the encode wheels make it a very tactile console to work with.
Brett states that both designers and operators over their first few seasons have been very impressed with the console and even though most of them come from different non ETC backgrounds (MA, Hog and Strand) they have found the transition very easy.
“From a networking side of things I have found ETC’s software package to be a great thing - gone is the day of having to be an ‘IT Guru’ to get a network system up and running - even with the system outputting on multiple protocols.”
Brett explained that even with a short lead in to their first few shows and still learning the console on the fly, he has become very comfortable with the console quickly. “And are looking forward to some of the new features coming out in the in the next few versions of software, which ETC have demoed for us and they were very receptive of all the feedback we gave them. All in all a great control package from ETC.”
Poor Boy was the opening production in the new MTC theatre, and lighting designer Nick Schlieper had the following to say about the ETC Eos…
“I have to say I’m much more interested in the Eos as the new generation of lighting consoles than I am of some others. The Eos thinks like a theatre desk whereas some others, in my opinion, have a perverse logic and are counter-intuitive in the way that they work. The Eos is really an attempt to amalgamate the logic of a Strand desk with that of an ETC desk. However, there are some definite improvements on what a Strand desk can do, such as the ease with which you can put a different time on every single channel within a cue without having to make a million parts. I think that’s terrific.”
www.jands.com.au

Look Solutions Unique Hazers go to The Edge
The Edge is New Zealand’s leading performing arts, commercial entertainment and convention facility, and a central feature of Auckland’s Aotea Quarter. The Edge manages three of Auckland’s landmark buildings - Aotea Centre, The Civic and Auckland Town Hall – as well as the city’s largest outdoor CBD space – Aotea Square.
Malcolm Ibell is Head of Lighting for The Edge and recently he approved the acquisition of two Look Solutions Unique Hazers famous for their tremendous amount of haze, ability to warm up very quickly and an LED display that is easy to read and easy to operate.
The Unique hazers will compliment the venue’s existing inventory of oil crackers and satisfy the requirements of the shows whose riders ask for glycol based hazers.
"We are seeing an increasing number of touring shows asking for Unique Hazers," commented Malcolm. "After extensive research, and talking to production people world-wide, I determined that the Unique’s combination of reliability, control and output made it the logical choice. All this has been borne out in practice too.
"The hazers will be used in all our venues on many of the thousands of events that are staged at The Edge every year, particularly those events whose requirements preclude the use of ‘crackers’. These include opera, musicals and shows that contain a projection component. In fact the AV guys love the Uniques as it means no sticky crap in their projectors!"
The hazers were supplied by Oceania www.oceania-audio.co.nz
www.looksolutions.com

Show Technology appoints General Manager
Show Technology, one of Australia's leading distributors of intelligent lighting and control systems, has announced the appointment of Darren McLanders to the newly created position of General Manager.
The role was created to strengthen the company's position in the market and to better serve the company's strong professional customer base, tasks that Show Technology's managing director Emmanuel Ziino feels Darren is particularly suited to take on.
"Darren has been with the company since 2000 and in that time he has worked in many operational, sales and segment management roles and thus knows our company's operations intimately" said Emmanuel. "Darren has tackled every role with vigour and professionalism and is totally dedicated to the company. I am confident that he is the best man for this new position".
Darren will be responsible for co-ordinating the company's day to day internal operations, including managing the company's four offices and warehouses as well as all aspects of service, stock and delivery issues.
"Over the years our company has grown and we want to make sure we continue to be the best we can in every aspect of the business," continued Emmanuel. "As General Manager, Darren will help us achieve this."
"I am personally very excited about the appointment and look forward to the future" added Darren.
The management changes are effective immediately.
www.showtech.com.au

Founders finds grandMA
In New Zealand, Hamilton City Theatres has started a capitol expenditure renewals program for its’ three venues – Founders Theatre, Clarence St Theatre and The Meteor. Kelvin Ballard, Production Services Manager for all three venues, has started down the right track by purchasing a MA Lighting grandMA console for the Founders Theatre, a 1250 seat proscenium theatre.
”We went through quite an extensive assessment and comparison process when looking for a new console,” said Kelvin. “We surveyed users and operators, then benchmarked some of the touring shows that we had coming through as to what they wanted to use and what they would like us to have. We also benchmarked a number of other venues throughout New Zealand and Australia.”
The grandMA was the decisive winner, coming top in just about everything and Kelvin was particularly impressed by the commitment to the brand in the future.
”The grandMA platform is obviously going to be around for a while,” he remarked. “We can’t afford to buy consoles every other year! The console also had to be industry proven: if we don’t provide top quality services and resources, then we can’t expect to get top quality product.”
All three theatres are separated geographically with a network connecting them and so Kelvin was also looking for connectivity with the console.
”in the next few years we’re also looking to replace the consoles in the other theatres,” he said. “So we’re going down the path of the grandMA committing ourselves to putting them into the other venues too.
”Our operators think the grandMA is excellent. We’ve had good feedback from those who have never seen a grandMA before and excellent feedback from those highly experienced operators who turn up and say ‘thank goodness, a grandMA!’
MJF Lighting in Wellington NZ supplied the theatre with their first MA.
www.showtech.com.au

Australian theatres save tens of thousands tonnes worth of carbon emissions using Selecon’s energy-saving solution
80V 1200W Power Systems deliver a “…devastatingly bright and clear, crisp white light”* with up to a 50% reduction in power consumption
Leading Australian venues are making a dedicated commitment towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while significantly reducing stage lighting and air conditioning heat loads. This commitment to energy efficiency is endorsed and encouraged by Australian state governments and is high on the priority lists of fiscally and environmentally aware theatre consultants and management teams who are involved with the refurbishment and development of theatrical lighting around the world.
Selecon’s lower voltage 80V 1200W Pacific Profiles and Rama High Performance Fresnel replace traditional 2500kW and 2000kW mains powered luminaires and deliver impressive energy savings in both stage lighting and air conditioning systems with the added advantages of smaller, easier to use luminaires that deliver bright, pure white light.
Over 300 80V 1200W Power Systems have been supplied to leading Australian theatres over the past two years, including the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (image), Ipswich Civic Theatre, Redlands Performing Arts Centre, Mackay Entertainment Centre, Sydney Opera House, Hillsong Church, Channel 9-Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Tamworth Musical Society, Wagga Civic Theatre and the Sutherland Entertainment Centre.
Selecon’s 80V 1200W Power System represents an important and, in light of the world focus on energy efficient solutions, relevant tool for lighting designers and venues to seriously consider when thinking about replacing high wattage stage luminaires.
To find out more: www.seleconlight.com/pacific80v

ESTA Foundation Announces eSET: Essential Skills for the Entertainment Technician
The ESTA Foundation announces the launch of eSET, a web-based source for essential terminology used within the entertainment technology industry. eSET is designed to cut through the jargon and establish clear terminology that will ensure better communication from region to region and person to person, the foundation says.
Subscription-based, eSET's searchable database provides the user with the terminology they need to understand and to be understood wherever their work takes them. In addition to the terminology, assessments for each discipline are provided as well as the means to create your own resources for learning and teaching. eSET will continually be updated and refined.
For industry professionals, it is a quick reference for new (or very old) terms. For teachers and students eSET is an additional text that clearly defines what is important to teach and to learn and, with the assessments, provides an easy way to measure student understanding.
A nnual subscriptions are $10.00 for students, $15.00 for professionals, and $40.00 for a five-site license. To subscribe, go to the URL listed below.
www.eset.net

CDA - 50% off all prices shown - all stock must go!
If you haven't already heard CDA has gone into receivership and is liquidating all of their stock, below is a webpage of their entire inventory at 50% OFF COST PRICE! Please go through the list thoroughly and get back to them as soon as possible as everything is going out the door very quickly.
http://www.cdaust.com.au/sale.html
Here's a list of just some of their items - ALL STOCK IS 50% OFF:
DE SISTI REMINGTON 6000/12000w was $26,515.13 - now $13,257.57 DE SISTI REMBRANDT 2.5/4kW was $3,263.40 - now $1,631.70 COEMAR SPOT 650/1000 FRESNEL was $265.61 - now $132.81 DE SISTI BOTTICELLI 2.5/5kW was $1,000.00 - now $500.00 DE SISTI CARAVAGGIO 2kW was $2,215.89 - now $1,107.95 COEMAR'S new STAGELITE LED was $4,111.97 - now $2,055.99 PAIR OF COEMAR'S CF7 HE was $9,719.03 - now $4,859.52 COEMAR CF7 WZ was $3,005.53 - now $1,502.77 COEMAR ISPOT 1200 EB was $7,672.00 - now $3,836.00 COEMAR FIERA 1200 EB was $6,067.35 - now $3,033.68 COEMAR PARLITE LED IP66 was $1,233.02 - now $616.51 COEMAR PANO CYC 250 was $859.90 - now $429.95
4 x COEMAR COLOUR CYC LX was $7,954.28 - now $3,977.14 COEMAR PANO LED was $1,368.12 - now $684.06
MR16 LED replacements from $2.50!
SPACE CANNON COLOUR ART 4kW was $16,560.00 - $8,280.00 SPACE CANNON IBIS 2kW was $12,700.00 - $6,350.00 LED X-REBEL ZOOM PAR was $718.79 - now $359.40
Please note: FREIGHT NOT INCLUDED, COLLECTION CAN BE ARRANGED ONCE PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND ITEMS WILL ONLY BE HELD FOR 24 HOURS.
If you experience any problems opening this webpage or require any further information with regards to this, please do not hesitate to contact Stacey on 03 9465 7666.

Microhire Sydney expand with Show Technology
Microhire Sydney has expanded its’ inventory with the purchase of four Martin MAC700, to join the other MACs owned by them, and a MA grandMA ultra-light console.
”Generally speaking, I’d have to say that the Martin MAC700 hits the sweet spot in respect to product design for its price point,” says Thomas Armati, Microhire’s general manager for NSW. “It’s really taken the best features of the MAC2000, such as high lumen output, into a more affordable product. However they’re not cheap but at Microhire it’s a standard that we want to maintain.”
As Microhire Sydney already owned a MA Lighting Micro the step up to the ultra-light was an obvious choice. The grandMA ultra-light provides incredible power for small to medium sized shows offering 2048 parameters.
“We didn’t look at any other consoles as all of our staff is so familiar with the MA operating system,” said Thomas. “They love the grandMA logic and we’ve employed more people with that skill set.”
grandMA ultra-light offers one colour touch screen display, one external display, ten manual faders plus 20 physical play­back buttons (on 128 pages), free visualization software, support for up to six remotes and all the software features of the larger grandMA and grandMA light consoles including DMX universe expansion with up to 16,384 parameters (32,768 DMX channels or 64 DMX universes).
“Ultimately we like to stick with the Martin and MA products because of product reliability, the service that we receive from Show Technology, the industry take up and the consequent ease of ability to sub labour in who are familiar with our products,” concluded Thomas.
www.showtech.com.au

Showtech Australia open in Sydney
Showtech Australia, after many years of clients asking when they will set up their business in Sydney, is proud to announce Showtech Sydney.
Showtech Australia now have equipment and crew available for hire in Sydney.
So give them a call and pass their details on :-) 02 8006 1337
They are also looking for more riggers and crew in Sydney, so please give them a call, or email sydney@showtechaustralia.com.au
Showtech Australia has also recently launched a new training website www.showtechtraining.com.au

More MAC700’s for Entertainment Installations
As part of their on-going equipment upgrading, Entertainment Installations has recently purchased more Martin MAC's bringing their tally up an impressive eighty-two.
A further sixteen Martin MAC700 Wash have been added to their busy production inventory.
“Immediately, they were out on gigs and have been kept busy even though it's heading into the winter,” said Neale Mace, Entertainment Installation’s managing director. “We decided on the MAC700 wash due to its small size, light weight, great features and it also makes a great wash partner for our existing MAC700 profiles.
“Emmanuel Ziino, Show Technology’s managing director and Soren Storm, Martin’s Regional Managing Director, were a great help in making the units available and finalizing the deal. Showtech have always stood by us in our purchasing decisions and their pricing, service, backup and attention to detail are second-to-none.”
Photo caption: Bryce Mace and Neale Mace at the end of the line.
www.showtech.com.au

Philips Dynalite looks to the future
Following its recent acquisition by Royal Philips Electronics, the newly named Philips Dynalite is looking ahead to bigger and better things. Now a key element of Philips Lighting's Lighting Electronics Business, Philips Dynalite has been designated a 'Centre of Design Excellence' and is tasked with developing smart engineering control solutions for Philips worldwide.
"Our advanced lighting control technology, strong research and development focus, and extensive distribution and dealer network truly complements the Philips Lighting portfolio," said John Gunton, Philips Dynalite CEO and founder of Dynalite. "The additional resources provided by our new parent company will strengthen our engineering team to ensure fast-tracking of R&D and the delivery of new products to market sooner."
Philips and Philips Dynalite share a genuine commitment to energy management solutions, and have plans to drive the global shift towards sustainable lighting technologies. With a proven track-record of working together, Philips Dynalite has recently teamed up with Philips to deliver a sophisticated energy management lighting control solution at the new landmark office building of PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer and distributor.
"Going forward, the integrated offering available from Philips Dynalite will include fixtures and lamps in addition to ballast control, dimming and control functionality," Gunton said. "This broader solution-set, featuring fully integrated best-of-breed components, will provide compelling lighting solutions for not only energy management applications, but also the hospitality, home automation and architectural lighting sectors."
Supported by this injection of resources and technology, Philips Dynalite will continue to manufacture from its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1989, the company also has offices in China, UK and the Middle-East, and is represented by the Philips Dynalite Dimension distributor and dealer network in over 40 countries.
According to Gunton, Philips Dynalite will maintain the high level of service and support its partners and customers have come to expect. "On a day-to-day basis it's business as usual," he said. "However, we look forward to expanding our portfolio of solutions and embarking on an exciting new chapter of our 20-year history."
www.dynalite-online.com

ETC ION 1000 To Tame The Shrew
In preparation for their upcoming four-month national tour of The Taming Of The Shrew, Bell Shakespeare decided to purchase a new lighting console. As the show visits a variety of venues with a wide range of lighting equipment the console needed to be flexible, reliable and suitable for regional venue touring.
“The ETC ION 1000 was the ideal choice due to its size, cost and its flexibility,” remarked Jack Horton, Technical Coordinator for Bell Shakespeare. “The fact that the platform it runs off can be used on both the ION and the EOS is useful; if we ever need to upgrade we don’t have to reprogram the show.”
Photo by Harold David
www.jands.com.au

A Brighter Future for Bright Black AV
Bright Black AV recently purchased Robe and Avolites for their rental production inventory. Bright Black AV & their team of expert technical operators represent the cutting-edge of audiovisual & event staging in North Queensland. Bright Black AV’s Managing Director, Liam Elliston has been in the entertainment industry for 24 years. He and wife Christine have an extensive background in event co-ordination and theming. Bright Black AV was formed 3 years ago, and in those 3 years they have grown to become one of North Queensland’s largest AV companies. Liam was so happy with his previous acquisition of Robe fixtures that he decided to invest in further Robe inventory comprising of ColorSpot 575AT’s and an Avolites Pearl Tiger for the lighting control. “We didn’t want to go with just any desk, as the industry standard now seems to have the grandMA’s and Avolites at the fore.
The Pearl Tiger had everything we needed and the price was within our budget. Overall it was the best choice for our business”, says Liam. The Pearl Tiger offers everything to the programmer or operator needs for quick and easy programming of small to medium sized shows - with all the power, ease of use and versatility of a full sized Pearl. “Our staff are quite impressed with it,” says Liam. “We are now in a position to do the large shows that come our way with ease. It now places us in a very formidable market position.
We now have the right equipment for the right jobs”. This was Liam’s second major purchase with ULA. “We started with the Robe 250AT Spots and Washes and have had great feedback and no dramas from them. Robe is recognised throughout the industry as an excellent moving light and we like to keep industry standard equipment in our hire inventory”, says Liam. “The Robe ColorSpot 575 was a great choice for Bright Black AV as the ColorSpot 575AT mirrors the excellent features and design styling of Robe’s latest ColorSpot 1200AT.” Bright Black AV’s first gig using the ColorSpot 575AT was for a 3 day conference and gala dinner for ‘Tyrepower’ housed at the Sebel in Cairns. “Everyone one was very impressed with the themeing and lighting effects,” says Liam.
Liam said they were specifically picked for the frost filter which enables them to produce great wash effects, as well as for gobo projection. Bright Black’s Robe inventory has definitely become a key asset in their production inventory. “Our business is very corporate,” he continues. “Our major line of work includes event staging for conferences, gala dinners and off site events. Our recent purchase of Robe fixtures has definitely improved our choices and corporate profile. We’ve got the technology, equipment and experience and were continually promoting North Queensland to the national and international markets”.
ULA prides itself on working together with our dealers bringing them the latest technology and product support. “During our recent purchase we had deadlines to adhere to as we had major events we needed equipment for. The service we got from ULA was efficient and they did everything to meet our deadline. We are happy and confident to be a part of ULA’s Robe network”, concludes Liam.
www.ulagroup.com

ETC ION 2000 Joins Circus Oz
For over thirty years Circus Oz has entertained us with their high-energy animal free spectaculars bursting with colour, comedy and breathtaking feats. This winter Circus Oz will undertake a national tour with a whole new production and a brand new lighting console.
Lighting Designer Marko Respondeck has thrown away the old Strand 300 in order to make room for a shiny new ETC ION 2000.
“I had a look at what was available for the given budget and the ION 2000 was the most advanced console for the price,” he said. “I think the moving light control of the ION 2000 is pretty good and I like the on screen action with the mouse – it’s quite nice to be able to just click on things rather than do everything with keystrokes. The size of it is good too and it is also fairly light which means I can quickly pack it away.”
Marko also likes the remote control available with the ION 2000 and the networking capabilities of the console.
“With the offline programming abilities I can plot into WYSIWYG so I can have a look at everything before we go into a venue.”
www.jands.com.au

Coemar De Sisti Australia liquidating ALL stock!
If you haven't already heard CDA has gone into receivership and is now liquidating all of their stock, below is a webpage of our entire inventory at cost price! Please go through the list thoroughly and get back to Stacey as soon as possible as everything is going out the door very quickly.
http://www.cdaust.com.au/pow.html
Please note: FREIGHT NOT INCLUDED, COLLECTION CAN BE ARRANGED ONCE PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND ITEMS WILL ONLY BE HELD FOR 24 HOURS.
If you experience any problems opening this webpage or require any further information with regards to this, please do not hesitate to contact Stacey stacey@cdaust.com.au.
(RECEIVERS & MANAGERS APPOINTED)

Robert Juliat Manon’s for Norwest Oceania
Norwest Oceania has replaced their aging 575w Lycian HP midget truss spots with Robert Juliat HMI1200w Manon followspots in what they describe as a major step up in medium throw spot technology.
”The Manon delivers a flicker free f4 (80fc) at 25m making it suitable for TV front fill and as a rock’n’roll truss spot useful f5.6 (160fc) at 15m with a pile of user friendly features that suit our use,” remarked Simon Garret, general manager of the lighting division. “I like that it’s compact enough for truss use with a very steep forward angle standard.”
Simon is impressed by the Manon’s roller fader, repeatable frost, smooth action Iris to blackout and foam rubber insulated handles side and rear.
”The 13-22 degree zoom is particularly useful as is the accessory 240v feed from the ballast,” he added.
www.showtech.com.au

Videoplus look to the future with Vista
The Videoplus Group comprises of Videoplus and Showcorp who between them have around 57 years experience in technical production, so they certainly know a good lighting product when they see one!
No wonder they now own a mini-family of Jands Vista lighting controllers including a M1, S1 and the recently acquired Vista I3 – the compact and powerful lighting console that provides the software, the processor and the control elements of the Vista T4 console. All you have to do is connect a screen, keyboard and mouse and you’ve got a fully operational Vista with exactly the same software and feature set as the full-size console.
“We decided upon the Vista route because we wanted to be at the cutting edge of modern technology,” reported Harald Mueller, quality manager at Videoplus. “The number of universes and channels used in lighting these days has increased dramatically and with moving light fixtures and things such as LED walls, we need some cutting edge technology to drive it all.”
Although Harald had a survey of the lighting control market, the product information supplied by Jands as well as the cost associated with the product was an opportunity that Videoplus’ CEO Bob Dewstow didn’t want to see pass.
“Also, the level of support tied in with the purchase of the Vista is very important to us,” added Jules Slade, events manager at Videoplus. “It needs to be direct and timely especially as we’re a national supplier and that was one of the key drivers in the decision to purchase Vistas.”
Jules remarked that he particularly liked the intuitive nature of the Vista console and Harald concurred.
“The human machine interface appears to be of great ease to operate,” he said. “We’ve found that our contractors and operators do not have any problems taking on the way of operating Vista. The Vista offers ease of use and versatility particularly the way that different areas can be assigned and split. We need a console for moving lights, a console for media servers, a console for static lights…and the Vista can combine it all in one.”
Harald was keen to publicly thank Jands for their technical support that included a couple of seminars on the Vista. He reports that Jands has been fantastic with their assistance whenever it was required.
“Jands are very proactive in the way that they offer a suite of services,” concluded Jules.
www.jands.com.au

Robert Juliat for The Q
'The Q' - Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre theatre is regarded as a premiere entertainment facility with 346 seats and it provides a warm, intimate atmosphere popular with both performers and audiences.
The Q theatre design and configuration provides opportunity for live theatre productions, concerts, forums, conferences, conventions … just about anything. The theatre was lacking in theatre analogue light fixtures and so they turned to Canberra’s Eclipse Lighting for a solution. “Of course we recommended the best!” commented Chris Neal, Eclipse’s managing director.
Consequently twenty-four Robert Juliat Lutin 306LPC 1000W fresnels with 6-inch interchangeable lenses were chosen. The Lutin fresnels are famous for their robustness and features such as a very even beam of light across its’ field.
“The venue has lots of touring lighting designers coming though and they can be very picky about what they want,” said Chris. “We know with the RJ fresnels that none of them are going to whinge! Everyone has been very happy with the new fresnels.”
www.showtech.com.au

Caloundra Event Centre prefers the grandMA Light
Caloundra’s Event Centre features two venues: the Playhouse which has 320 fixed tiered seats and the Theatre which has 900 seats consisting of a Stalls Section which provides seating on ground level and a Gallery Section which provides tiered seating.
When the Centre’s ancient lighting console dramatically expired last year Technical Services Manager Bryan Doan began his search for a replacement. He whittled his choices down to a MA grandMA light and a RoadHog with the MA console winning hands down. This was supplied by Brisbane Sound Group.
Situated primarily in the main theatre, the grandMA Light is popular for its versatility.
“It’s can be more than one console, it’s not one particular type of console,” said Bryan. “It can mask itself for a Hog user or whatever and that suited us.
“The touch screen is fantastic as is the 2D visualiser and I particularly like the ability to hook up your PDA as your stage controller for remote focus – very handy in a theatre.”
The grandMA Light was delivered just prior to the busy dance school season and the crew were anxious about getting a new operating platform so close to the shows. However Bryan reports that there were no issues whatsoever and that everyone has found the grandMA Light easy to learn and operate.
Pictured with the grandMA Light is Technical Coordinator Jason Smith
www.showtech.com.au

Martin MAC250 Entours turn Orange
Orange Civic Theatre is a multipurpose venue located in the Central West of New South Wales. The theatre offers a diverse annual program including many local, national and international touring productions.
The 504 seat auditorium is a professional, user-friendly space with racked, continental seating plan. Outlined by a traditional proscenium arch, the stage is equipped to suit most technical requirements.
Late last year the theatre decided to purchase a few moving lights but being a regional theatre the budget wasn’t large. A good product that would last and do the job, whilst offering reasonable costing, was required.
“Previously we had always hired our moving lights from Centrestate but once the decision had been made to purchase some, I had a good look around,” commented Peter Telford, technical manager at the Civic Theatre. “The guys from Show Technology came up to demonstrate the Martin MAC250 Entours and I was very impressed.
“I really like the brightness of the Entours and the range of gobos and colours are great. Plus the back up from Show Technology is great. Really they’re a good, overall package for the price.
The Entours are used on a wide variety of events including musicals, dance school recitals, corporate events and touring productions. Also proving popular on productions are the eight Pro Shop LED Strips that were recently purchased.
“I’ve used them on all sorts of events, again whenever I can,” said Peter. “They’re so bright and versatile, great for lighting up cycs.”
www.showtech.com.au

ETC Ion 1000 goes to Queensland School
Three years ago Ferney Grove State High School in Queensland started building a 350-seat auditorium. Once completed Auditorium Manager Grantley Sutch set about outfitting the venue within the usual limited budget and now, a couple of years down the track, the lighting console has been chosen and installed.
“We decided to spend money on the infrastructure first,” explained Grantley. “So we did things like patching and rigging event though we had no lights and no console.”
But all good things come to those that are patient and last year Grantley was able to purchase, through Barbizon Australia, an ETC Ion 1000 console, the smaller sibling to the Eos console. Like Eos, Ion is designed for today’s multimedia lighting rigs, delivering control over conventionals, moving lights and LEDs, whilst schools and community theatres are among the venues that benefit from Ion’s operational style. Intuitive and easy to use, the Ion comes in 1000, 1500 and 2000 channel/output configurations.
“One of the reasons why we chose the Ion 1000 is because we stage such a wide variety of events from drama to cabaret to music concerts often hiring in extra gear such as moving lights and LEDs,” said Grantley. “The console is very powerful yet the students find the basic operations are very easy to learn. It’s also designed with the future in mind as the ETC software will grow and expand in what it can do for you. It might be overkill for us at the moment but further down the track I’m sure it won’t be.
“We also got a great price so that prompted us as well!”
Grantley has a student and an ex-student who are very familiar with the ETC Ion 1000 set up which has proven valuable for him and as he finds his way around the console, he is more and more impressed.
“It’s really useful for us because we can throw a whole bunch of lights in, you can see the patch on the screen and you can come up with a bunch of sub groups,” he said. “When we do concerts the lighting is planned over a period of time so we can set up sub groups for various ensembles or events within the performance. As the concert draws nearer, we can then go in and do the cues. That works well for us.”
Grantley is also impressed that any programming queries can be quickly answered by jumping on line to ETC who has always replied within twenty-four hours.
“Any technical issues that have arisen due to us upgrading the system or the way we have configured the lighting evoke almost instantaneous replies as to solve our problem,” remarked Grantley. “That has been really handy.”
www.jands.com.au

CDA's Dimmer Bar Clearance Sale
Clearance sale on current Dimmer Bar stock ONLY - buy 4 and receive the 5th Dimmer Bar for FREE!
- self-contained lighting bar and 4ch dimmer pack
- additional single switched power outlet
- inbuilt chase and DMX control
- choice of 6 operating modes
- lightweight, compact design
- 5a per channel, 20a maximum load
- dimensions: L 1308mm x W 80mm x H 74mm
- weight: 4 kgs
** Stand sold separately **
Cash sale basis, freight not included, for current stock items only until stock sold out.
wwwcdaust.com.au

Clearlight store up the MAC’s
Melbourne-based Clearlight Shows are a production company who quietly stock up the best lighting gear on the market and then sub hire their booty to other production companies.
“That way we don’t have to pursue the big productions,” explained John McKissock, managing director of Clearlight. “We sit back one tier and almost work as a wholesale rental company.”
Of course, Clearlight strive to have their gear constantly in demand and so choosing a selection of Martin MACs for the hire department was a natural decision. Twelve Martin MAC TW1 tungsten features, twelve MAC250 Entours and six MAC700 profiles keep John’s crew busy.
“I particularly love the MAC250 as it’s such a great little work horse,” remarked John. “Everybody loves the MACs - they’re good and reliable. The service from Show Technology is fantastic - they’re very good and great people to deal with.”
www.showtech.com.au

Institute for Feedback Excellence Launched
A new nonprofit organization wants to ensure every piece of lighting equipment using industry-wide feedback protocols performs at the highest standard possible.
The Institute for Feedback Excellence will enable lighting manufacturers to test their feedback-enabled products -- for now, those using Remote Device Management -- to make sure they're compatible with other feedback devices.
The organization's three founders are Enttec Pty. Ltd. of Australia, Martin Professional A/S of Denmark, and Wybron, Inc. of the U.S. All three manufacturers have strongly embraced the RDM industry feedback standard.
"Our goal here is not to break trail for new protocols. That is being handled very capably by ESTA and PLASA and the committee members who work diligently to advance the technical standards used in lighting control," said Jeremy Kumin, Enttec's U.S. sales manager. "What we are trying to do is help the customer feel secure that when they rent or buy something using this new technology, it's going to play as well as it should with other equipment."
The organization's initial focus will be RDM, the ESTA-approved feedback protocol also known as E1.20. At labs located around the world, companies can test their RDM- enabled gear against open-source standard tests that, when passed, yield the product the "IFE Verified" seal of approval.
Companies can also choose to perform the tests at their own facilities by using one of IFE's portable labs. This will ensure complete confidentiality for manufacturers concerned about protecting proprietary information.
A list of approved devices and their manufacturers will be posted on the IFE Web site, and manufacturers of these approved devices will automatically become Sustaining Members of the organization.
"It's really all about the customers -- making sure that when they buy RDM equipment, it'll work like they want it to, and it'll be compatible with RDM equipment made by different manufacturers," said Wybron's president, Keny Whitright.
www.fbexcellence.org

Melbourne Girls Grammar wins LightFactory
As part of their extensive involvement with last years Drama Victoria State Conference, Lightmoves gave away a copy of Enttec’s LightFactory lighting control software as a door prize. The lucky winner was Jane Marshall of Melbourne Girls Grammar School, and recently Lightmoves Theatrical Systems specialist Peter Gray personally delivered the prize to the schools theatre technician, Mark Thompson, who was very excited about the new toy he had to play with.
Mark intends to start using the software in lieu of their current lighting desk, for the many school assemblies and meetings that he requires to control lights, “It was becoming quite tiresome to have to drag the single lighting desk that we have to all the varied halls and assembly areas, so this is perfect. I just need to take my laptop with me.”
The School’s drama department has been keen to expand its curriculum into more technical areas of drama, and due to the nature of the LightFactory software, the drama department can now load LightFactory onto all the students’ computers, allowing them to practice and create their own lighting designs. The software then only begins to output DMX, once a licensed ‘dongle’ is attached to the machine.
www.lightmoves.com.au

QUT Students look to the future with grandMA
The Kelvin Grove campus of the Queensland University of Technology hosts a three-year Bachelor of Fine Arts programme including lighting design. As part of the course an average of sixteen productions are held across the four campuses. Venues include QUT’s Garden Theatre, a 400-seat proscenium arch flying theatre, the Block and Loft (multi-million dollar wired interactive spaces) and a small black box studio theatre.
The time had come to purchase a new lighting console that could be used in all of these venues and, as a period of course review was also underway at the university, George Meijer, Technical Production Coordinator seized the opportunity to purchase a MA Lighting grandMA.
“When choosing the console there were a number of phone calls to industry partners and a lot of research on the internet,” said George. “Of course knowing that QPAC has recently gone down the grandMA track was certainly a massive influence in making up our minds. We also looked ahead into the future and what we believed that people will be using so as to give our graduates market value.
For George it is extremely important to hold the market value of the technicians that graduate from the course by using equipment that many performing arts complexes and entertainment venues are purchasing. And that trend in lighting control consoles means the MA Lighting grandMA.
www.showtech.com.au

Philips acquires Selecon
Royal Philips (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) announced today that it has acquired New Zealand-based Selecon, a prominent global designer, manufacturer and distributor of professional theatrical and architectural lighting fixtures. Under the terms of the agreement, Philips will acquire the business assets of Selecon New Zealand Limited, Selecon UK Limited, Selecon North America LLC and Aureol Lighting Limited. No financial details on the transaction were disclosed.
"Selecon's highly acclaimed luminaires for the theatrical and architectural markets will further strengthen the breadth of solutions Philips can offer to important professional customers such as performing arts centers, churches, convention centers and hotels," said Rudy Provoost, Chief Executive of Philips' Lighting sector. "Today we are further strengthening the product portfolio of our globally leading entertainment lighting business, building on the foundation provided by the acquisition of Genlyte in 2008."
Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, Selecon was founded in 1969 and employs approximately 95 people throughout Australasia, Europe and North America. Landmarks as diverse as the American Museum of Natural History, Hong Kong Science Museum, the Sydney Opera House and the Opera Bastille in Paris all use Selecon lighting. The company has delivered a double digit annual revenue growth rate over the last four years, a performance which is expected to continue in years to come. Selecon has become part of the Entertainment Group within the Philips Professional Luminaires business, which also encompasses the Vari-Lite and Strand Lighting business operations.
The acquisition of Selecon follows the acquisition of Italy-based Ilti Luce Srl, one of the leading LED design companies in Europe for architectural indoor lighting just over a month ago, and is the second such announcement in the Pacific region in as many weeks following last week's acquisition of Australia-based lighting company Dynalite.
www.philips.com

Martin Professional and JB-lighting sign cooperative agreement
Denmark - Intelligent lighting manufacturers Martin Professional and JB-lighting have entered into an agreement that allows Martin Professional to market JB-lighting's JBLED A7 moving head fixture in a MAC 301 Wash version.
The mutually beneficial agreement gives Martin the right to market the LED moving head through its extensive global distributor network while JB-lighting gains the benefit of greater international exposure in a fast growing segment of the market.
The JBLED A7 has been well-received in the market since its introduction last fall, including several positive product reviews by both German and international trade magazines. Martin will launch the MAC 301 Wash version at the Pro Light + Sound exhibition in Frankfurt in early April.
Peter Skytte, moving heads product manager at Martin, commented, "We see great potential in this agreement and are pleased to be cooperating with JB-lighting to expand the market for this excellent LED moving head. With its fast zoom, array of features and exceptional reliability, we are confident the MAC 301 Wash will live up to the MAC standard. It marks our entrance into the growing market for LED moving heads and brings JB-lighting's LED moving head technology to a wider audience."
Jürgen Braungardt, managing director of JB-lighting, stated, "The category of LED-based washlights - of which JB-lighting was one of the pioneers in developing - will gain additional acceptance through this cooperation with Martin Professional. Extensive tests in the run-up to this agreement proved that the JBLED A7 complies with industry standards in regards to quality and reliability, which set the groundwork for the agreement. We very much look forward to this cooperation."
www.martin.com

Lighthouse Distribution to distribute Hazebase
Leading German supplier of hazer and fog machines Hazebase, has appointed Lighthouse Distribution as their exclusive distributor for Australia and New Zealand.
The qualities of the hazebase machines, which are manufactured in Germany, is characterised by high reliability and build quality. Different types of fog machines and hazers with various features and sizes are available including the popular Base*Haze Hazer.
"We are excited to have been appointed," says Andrew Winslade, National Sales and Marketing Manger for Lighthouse Distribution. "This is a proven quality range that is ideal for our market. Hazebase machines are ideal for use in permanent installations or touring environments, the range fulfils the requirements wherever quality fog or haze is required."
www.lighthousedistribution.com.au

Lighthouse Distribution launches 2009 catalogue
The Lighthouse team are excited to release a fresh range of products including the much anticipated designLED range. designLED includes the LEDAVISION screens which are ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications (available in hi and lo resolution versions). Adding to this is new designLED range of colour changing LED wash fixtures.
Lighthouse Distribution continues to service the quality architectural display, visual and live entertainment markets through its complete range of, ChamSys, Clay Paky, DTS, Hazebase, Opti Kinetics, Fibre Optics, Crestron Lighting and accessories including a new range of drapes, cables, stands, clamps, and spares.
National Sales and Marketing Manger for Lighthouse Distribution, Andrew Winslade commented “the designLED range coupled with our existing offering adds substantial depth to our 2009 offering and launches us positively into the new year!“
www.lighthousedistribution.com.au

ETC Enters LED Lighting Market
After long rumour and speculation about whether entertainment-lighting leader ETC would enter the LED market, the company has announced their acquisition of the Selador™ product line from Selador co-founders Rob Gerlach and Novella Smith.
"We didn't want to make a 'me too' RGB or RGBA product that didn't provide the kind of significant innovation in lighting we strive for," says ETC CEO Fred Foster. "With its exclusive x7 Color System™, the Selador product line produces a far superior quality of colour and light to anything that we had seen before in LEDs."
Great people were the other essential part of the equation. As ETC Marketing Manager David Lincecum explains, the company was immediately impressed not only by the innovative Selador products but by the people behind them: "When we understood how Novella and Rob had thought about the design of LED fixtures -- looking at them from a designer's point of view rather than a technologist's point of view -- we saw that these were the right people to join our efforts at ETC. We are proud to be able to take their ideas to our customer base and the greater market."
Gerlach sees ETC and Selador as an ideal match: "There are so many things we have wanted to do with our product line, and we just haven't had the resources to do it, and suddenly the capability for Selador products to fully blossom and continue to innovate and expand is much greater. The product offerings that Selador and ETC combined will bring to the marketplace are orders of magnitude more promising than anything we could have done on our own. We worked very hard to develop a line of products that are unique and an exceptional value, and I think ETC is already positioned in the same way in the marketplace. Customers recognise that ETC represents very high quality and very good value for the investment, and I think Selador perfectly aligns with that."
Selador's x7 Color System™ seven-hue technology produces a light and colour quality that conventional LED systems cannot duplicate. This unique colour system produces bright broad spectrum whites and intense colours equally well, rendering pigments and skin tones in a more natural way.The Selador x7 Color System also finds its perfect counterpart in ETC's control offerings. "ETC brings to the table a unique capability to make the control of LED fixtures easier, more direct and user friendly, and that is the key to making the tool really work for the designer. We have already integrated colour matching and HSI (hue, saturation and intensity) control of Selador products into the latest software releases of our Eos® and Congo® lighting control console lines. Our architectural systems will follow shortly, and we will continue to innovate in the areas of colour management in these products," says ETC Marketing Manager David Lincecum.
Selador's line-up includes the Paletta™ and Lustr™ products, just introduced at LDI 2008. "Paletta fixtures' unique blend of seven colours of LEDs was selected to provide the depth of colour you are used to from your favourite saturated gels. The Lustr line uses a different blend of colours that are optimised for producing broad spectrum whites and tinted colours – solving the traditional LED problem of making people look unnatural. Lustr is also ideal for studio lighting as a key or fill light and can produce the subtle, tinted colours that lighting designers value so highly," explains Smith, herself a veteran lighting designer.
At the same time that ETC is revealing this purchase of the Selador product line, they are also debuting the latest Selador product: the high-output colour-mixing Vivid™ LED fixture series. The Vivid series combines the Selador x7 Color System with powerful K2 emitters from Luxeon™, for the highest output available. "Our new Vivid LED fixtures give you high brightness and intense coloured lighting for much longer throws, while matching and blending with gel colours and tungsten fixtures. It's the best of all worlds for many stage lighting rigs," says Gerlach.
ETC was particularly impressed by the extent to which Selador LEDs blend so seamlessly with other lighting in a rig. Says Smith, "With Selador technology, it's hard to tell the LED light from the conventional stage lighting." Gerlach adds: "It's digital lighting that doesn't look digital. And this goes beyond just the colour-mixing. A big part of that is the control system built into the Selador fixtures – for really butter-smooth dimming and good fade-matching to ETC Source Four® fixtures and other conventional lighting equipment."
The ETC/Selador agreement means that ETC will now own, manufacture and distribute the Selador product line. Gerlach and Smith have been retained as exclusive consultants to ETC to develop more products from the line. ETC plans to dedicate a substantial portion of their R&D budgets to LED technology and the development of enhanced control and power infrastructures for LED systems. Smith says, "We're really looking forward to ETC's taking LED technology to the next level."
Selador fixtures will be sold in the U.S. immediately and are expected to be introduced in the Australian market during the second quarter of 2009.
The ETC/Selador deal also involves the licensing of the Philips Color Kinetics™ patent portfolio as well as other patents owned by David Cunningham.
www.jands.com.au

The Adelaide Convention Centre Invests Their Future with Robe
The Adelaide Convention Centre has recently invested in 90 Robe 575AT series fixtures as their light of choice to illuminate its state of the art facility which houses an array of event venues, consisting of 14 Meeting rooms, 11 Hall Venues and 1 Outdoor performance space situated on river frontage.
Located in the CBD of Adelaide, the multi-purpose facilities of the Adelaide Convention Centre accommodates up to 6,500 banquet guests and offers 10,451m2 of pillarless floor space for conferences, exhibitions and banquets. The Centres location ensures ease of access from both North Terrace and the upgraded Torrens precinct. An expansive atrium links the exhibition halls, conference, exhibition and banquet areas, and the pre-function and foyer area of the Centre offers panoramic views over the river, picturesque Adelaide Oval and parklands.
The Adelaide Convention Centre has an international reputation for excellence and is consistently ranked among the top convention centres in the world currently ranking within the top 10 destinations as determined by the AIPC body being the International Association of Congress Centres. This reputation is the result of their superior first-class facilities, technology and service levels, in line with the Adelaide Convention Centres vision of 'One Team, Leading the World in Business Events'
With the decision to invest in new professional moving lights, Robe was the preferred option for the Adelaide Convention Centre's specifications and requirements says Technical Manager Jamie Masefield. Jamie says "Robe first came to our attention with strong industry cred for robust and reliable fixtures. We undertook an extensive procurement process with the Robe 575AT range proving to be the successful candidate from an extensive range of comparative industry product".
Jamie continues "We had both the business and the logistical requirement to purchase large numbers of both profile and wash based moving head luminaries. Given the international profile, size of the facility and the nature of the events including many of Australia's premier business events we required luminaries that were a combination of quality build, ease of use, high levels of features, minimal weight loadings, sufficient output and priced so we could meet the projects outcomes within a limited budget. The Robe 575 AT series provided a comprehensive and cost effective solution to all of these requirements.
Part of Jamie's decision making process was to look at not only the product, but the local product support. Managing Director Cuono Biviano emphasises that local support and strong national dealer networks are a must when considering a large capital purchase. Authorised Robe Dealer George Psorakis and team from Osmond Electronics where chosen to supply 48 Robe ColorWash 575AT and 32 Robe ColorSpot 575AT fixtures to the Adelaide Convention Centre.
The Robe 575 AT series automated fixtures are ideal for theatres, TV studios, medium sized stage applications any application requiring a real "workhorse" 575 lamp. The ColorWash features full CMY, variable CTO, a static colour-wheel with 5 replaceable colours, dimmer/shutter and rotatable beam shaper, which is indexable through 360° with continuous rotation. The standard zoom angle has a range of 12-34°, while the Adelaide Convention Centre opted for the optional wide lense, offering a massive 24 - 60° beam angle.
For installation solutions from big clubs, large venues to concerts and touring applications, the ColorSpot 575 AT includes all the effects imaginable, which was essential to the Adelaide Convention Centre for the size of their facility. The ColorSpot features two separate gobo wheels with the "SLOT & LOCK" system, which has two separate colour wheels (one with the "SLOT & LOCK" system), motorized multi-step zoom with three different apertures of 15, 18 and 22 degrees. A motorized iris, prism, separate and variable frost effect, remote focus is also a feature plus many more. A new optical system and a new dichroic glass reflector increase the light output of the ColorSpot 575 AT.
Jamie concludes to say "Working together with Osmond Electronics and ULA's Sales Manager Blair Terrace was a very pleasing outcome. The whole process was professional and trouble free. We have had not one fault with any of these units."
ULA Group prides itself in working together with our dealers assisting with project management and product support nationally and internationally keeping them up to date with the latest technology.
www.ulagroup.com

Special Project Request
In October 2009, Forefront Productions is teaming up with the church that their managing director Nick Burns personally attends in Newcastle to help makeover a church / community hall in Sri Lanka.
As part of our commitment, Forefront will be sending a team to fly over and install an audio, lighting and video system, and to train the locals in its usage.
Sri Lanka was ravaged by the tsunami and as a result thousands of people were displaced, and thousands of children orphaned. The particular church they are looking to ‘makeover’ is a central hub of community activity and care, and a place of refuge for many poor and desperate people. There is also an orphanage attached which takes care of many community children in addition to the resident children.
Nick's church has done extensive work in Sri Lanka since the tsunami, including the construction of buildings and an orphanage – so they are in position to ensure that the resources are well placed and utilised in the most beneficial way.
Nick is asking you, if you would like to get involved by supplying equipment to enable the project. They are looking to setup a good basic system for a room seating around 350 people.
Perhaps you have some old / excess stock or ex demo gear that could be put to good use!?  Tax deductibility can also be accommodated via the church’s charitable foundation which exists to facilitate projects such as this.
Now, obviously there is some good promotional value attached to a project such as this, so in a sense the cost can be offset by the goodwill and publicity that will be generated – but despite this, the project is something that is just plainly a great thing to do to benefit others – a way that our industry can contribute to doing something significant to aid our fellow man.
Here’s what they are looking for, please let Nick know what you would be able to help with: nick@ffp.com.au

grandMA dominates the world touring scene
Prestigious Billboard Magazine has announced the Top 10 Tours of 2008, according to total sales, and they all have one important common factor – they all rely on a MA Lighting grandMA for lighting control!

1. Lighting Director Pat Brannon had 3 grandMA consoles and 6 grandMA NSPs out on Bon Jovi's Lost Highway Tour.
2. Lighting Designer Jeff Ravitz specified a grandMA console plus a grandMA light console for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Magic Tour.
3. Madonna’s “Sticky & Sweet” World Tour, designed by Leroy Bennett, utilized a couple of grandMA consoles and 5 grandMA NSPs.
4. Patrick Woodroffe designed The Police World Tour with 2 grandMA lighting consoles.
5. Celine Dion’s Taking Chances Tour designed by Yves Aucoin relied on 2 grandMA consoles, 1 MA Lighting replay units, 7 MA Lighting NSPs and 4 MA Lighting Node 2 truss mount units.
6. Lighting Designer Mike Swinford used a grandMA for Kenny Chesney’s Poets and Pirates Tour.
7. Neil Diamond World Tour 2008 saw Lighting Designer Marilyn Lowey with 2 grandMA consoles and 5 MA Lighting grandMA NSPs.
8. Spice Girls Reunion World Tour, also designed by Leroy Bennett, used 3 grandMA consoles and 10 grandMA NSPs.
9. Lighting Designer / Director Dave Hill had 2 grandMA consoles out on the Eagles Long Road Out of Eden World Tour.
10. Rascal Flatts’ “Bob That Head” Tour, designed by Andy Knighton, used 2 grandMA consoles and 4 grandMA NSPs.

It goes to show that the world’s top lighting designers and directors trust MA Lighting products from the family of technologically-advanced lighting consoles, to networking components and digital dimming systems. With integrated system solutions and the grandMA product family, MA Lighting has taken on the world – literally.
www.showtech.com.au

Warning About Unlicensed HPL Lamps
Recently, an unlicensed, six-filament Chinese-made lamp has appeared in the U.S., marketed as a HPL source. One distributor is advertising this lamp under the name “Silver,” but other distributors may substitute the Chinese lamp for name-brand licensed lamps. The lamp generally comes in a generic white box.
The patented HPL lamp was invented by David Cunningham and Gregg Esakoff for the Source Four® fixture line. Only GE, Osram, Philips and Ushio are licensed to produce authentic HPL lamps that meet the strict manufacturing requirements and performance criteria established for this lamp. Buyers should look for proof on the lamp and on the packaging that the HPL lamp they purchased is manufactured by one of these four licensed manufacturers.
ETC strongly recommends not using this lamp in any Source Four fixture.
The Silver lamp does not have the correct HPL filament structure and has not been tested or approved by ETC. Please also be aware that use of the Silver lamp or any other unlicensed lamp in any Source Four fixture will void any warranty claims for that fixture.
www.jands.com.au

Ra'alloy Ramps in Australian Expansion
The worlds leading manufacturer of aluminium truck ramps and van ramps for the light and sound industry is embarking on a global expansion with its first point of call being Australia.
Looking to recruit distribution agents the company hopes to develop the Ra'alloy Ramps brand followed by an eventual manufacturing plant to service our part of the Hemisphere
Some companies in Australia will probably already be aware of the products as the UK based company has supplied some of its ramps here.
The company produces a range of anti skid aluminium ramps which has become a brand of its own preferred by the worlds leading Trucking, Light and Sound,  Arena, Theatrical and Production companies. In fact its well worth taking an in depth look at their website at www.raalloyramps.com to see some of the names associated with the products.
As well as aluminium ramps the massive  product range also includes modular aluminium staging, and self levelling Stage Stairs which are used throughout the Entertainment Industry.
Managing Director of Ra'alloy Ramps Ltd, Graham Corfield says ` this is a fantastic opportunity for a company or individual to join the success of Ra'alloy Ramps, be it product range enhancement or an opportunity to form a successful business Franchise`
Should you require any further information contact Ra'alloy Ramps direct at agents@raalloy.co.uk or use the contact details from their website.

Frontier Lighting expand with Martin MAC700 Washes
One of Perth’s premier production companies, Frontier Lighting, recently took delivery of eight Martin MAC700 washes to compliment their twenty-four MAC700 profiles, twenty-four MAC600s, sixteen MAC550s and thirty-two MAC300s.
“We’re not quite Chameleon but we’re getting there!” laughed Jared Hawke, managing director of Frontier. “We really had to purchase the MAC700 washes because they were getting specified so much on shows. People were asking for them all the time.
“The MAC700 wash is definitely a fantastic light, without a doubt. My personal favourite feature is the ACL type beam you can get out of them. The shutter mechanism is probably one of the best open. With other lights you say ‘go to strobe now’ and light says ‘hhmm, maybe ….OK let’s do it now’ but with the MAC700 wash its bang, done.
Although the MAC700 washes only arrived just before Christmas they have already been used for Summerdayze festival, the Perth Cup, The Waifs, Jeff Beck, Kasey Chambers and even more.
“They’re basically out all the time now which is great,” said Jared.
Photographed is Frontier’s Ryan Varley, Gino Lombardi (Show Technology’s WA Branch Manager) and Jared Hawke
www.showtech.com.au

Seminar Topics for Integrate 2009 - you chose
ALIA will be presenting a series of lighting seminars at the new Integrate show [www.integrate-expo.com] in early July this year. As a result of the success of our seminars at Entech 2008, we are expanding our programme to six sessions over two days of the show.
We have already settled on two sessions that we feel will be of widespread interest and value:

LDs in the Hotseat
A panel of Lighting Directors and Lighting Designers from all walks of lighting look at some fundamentals of the art and answer your design questions.
Lighting 101
A crash course in the fundamentals of lighting for production.

There are an abundance of really interesting topics that have been suggested for the remaining sessions in the programme. We can't possibly run all of them, so we are turning to you - the people who will be attending the seminars - to select the four additional sessions that you would most like to attend.
The ALIA committee has refined the list of possibilities down to:

(a) Practical RDM
Remote Device Management protocol is now a reality and it’s coming to a system near you. How can you use it and will it change your life?
(b) Dimming Technology
Lighting’s most overlooked and undervalued technology.
A look at dimming from fundamentals to the state of the art.
(c) Visual Design Tools
A panel of Lighting Designers and Programmers look at how CAD, visualisers and soft consoles are used in the design and production process.
(d) Lamp Technologies
What we’ve got, what’s coming, what’s green, what’s hot and what’s just hot air.
(e) Lighting or Electrics?
How much of what we do is lighting and how much is being a power utility, a logistics company and a telecommunications company?
(f) Colour Temperature
What everybody needs to understand when working with video.
(g) PC vs Console
Is a console better than a PC or just more expensive?
Console and control system developers, distributors and users make their case.
(h) Video as a Lighting Tool
When does lighting become video and vice-versa?
Lighting designers, video designers, equipment suppliers, technical directors and lighting techs look at the way it is and the way it will soon be.

To register your preferences for the four sessions that you would most like to attend, please visit the ALIA On-line Forums (www.alia.com.au/forums) before midnight on Friday 6th February and vote in the poll attached to the Seminar Topics discussion in the Current Affairs forum. You will need to be a registered Forums user to vote, so if you haven’t already registered (it’s free), take the five minutes to do so.

Submissions called for Smart Light Sydney
Smart Light Sydney is a new biennial festival of Smart Light thinking towards low-energy urban lighting installations, highlighting alternative ‘cool light technologies’ which are emerging from lighting suppliers.
We seek expressions of interest from artists, lighting designers, architects, engineers, curators, multi media artists and inventors to create installations for the first festival around the Rocks and Circular Quay from 26 May to 14 June 2009.
The Smart Light Sydney creative theme is City and Memories — to be expressed through energyefficient lighting installations which:
• Promote significant reductions in electricity consumed by urban lighting.
• Promote new technologies and best practices in lighting design at the urban scale.
• Reduce pollution and photon wastage; encouraging darker, starrier night skies. In 2009 the festival coincides with the UN International Year of Astronomy.
• Consider the City of Sydney’s 2030 vision for a Green. Connected. Global city.
• Help share diverse understandings of how digital technologies can enable creative eco-solutions in urban design and management.
• Are conceptually stimulating and entertaining for the public.
• Promote City Atmosphere.
Submission proposals must meet the above themes and include details of proposed electricity consumption – to allow development of world’s best practice case studies.
The festival is a practical, long-term approach to low-energy urban lighting. Owners of office towers around Circular Quay will be encouraged to turn off their lights in an effort to reduce background illumination and allow maximum visual impact from the festival installations.
Various public education programs and events are planned in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government’s phase-out of incandescent lamps, the United Nations Year of Astronomy 2009, the growing desire to reduce light pollution of night skies, and the emerging low-energy technologies now being marketed by leading lighting manufacturers.
Smart Light Sydney’s ‘Light Walk’ from Observatory Hill to the Opera House includes major public venues such as the Sydney Observatory, Museum of Contemporary Art and Customs House. The route is highlighted below.
Key aspects of the Smart Light Sydney festival will include:
• Natural light (daylight, moonlight) and existing artificial lighting and their impacts on the built and natural environments of central Sydney.
• Developing new urban lighting ideas for the northern CBD to respond to the city’s layout, desired evening activities and vision. It will be important to balance the aesthetics of lighting equipment, energy consumption, historic elements, environmental considerations, social and cultural activities, and flexibility to celebrate festive occasions in different ways.
• Temporary and permanent light art installations, raising awareness about new lighting technologies that support low energy consumption and are less damaging to the natural environment. Understanding and developing interactive art works in public space. Attracting international visitors
to the city to experience the transformative quality of light.
ARTISTS EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ROUND 1 PROPOSALS DUE 26 JANUARY 2009.
Download a PDF with further information and application form here
Artist Grants of up to $5,000 are available for the project. All proposals are confidential and intellectual property belongs to the artist, apart from uses to publicize the festival. Round 2 will be announced 13 February 2009.
The successful applicants will be notified by email and listed on the Smart Light Sydney website www.smartlightsydney.com. If you have any enquiries regarding your application please send an email to admin@smartlightsydney.com.au. Proposals are be submitted electronically by 26 January 2009 to info@smartlightsydney.com.au.

Julius College Tech Production Scholarships
Seven young people have been awarded a new scholarship to study technical production fulltime in Sydney through 2009. The new scholarship scheme at Julius College was made possible through the generous support of a number of suppliers, including industry leaders like Chameleon, Bytecraft, Jands, TDC, Lots of Watts and Norwest. The technical production course includes training in live audio, lighting and video and has produced graduates now employed across the Australian and worldwide production industry since 2005.
Julius College is a private educator, which although heavily audited, attracts no government funding for its fulltime program. Accredited to the same level as a TAFE college, Julius has developed its own courseware and learning strategies with all texts and teaching aids specifically written by the firm for its courses.
Scholarships in 2009 were decided on criteria including community and schoolwork, education background and personal circumstances of applicants. A high number of applications were received which were then culled to the final seven, a number based on viability at a small boutique college with a typical enrolment of fewer than 45 students.
The support that made this possible comes from ongoing relationships with many production houses, equipment distributors, and venues, which the college has forged since it, commenced in 2003. That support ranges from the loan of equipment, through provision of facilities and placement of interns.
"There isn't a business case to buy what is needed for this level of training", says Julius Grafton, "I know some of the TAFE colleges and universities have done the numbers and discovered they need 600 students to make it pay. That's why we only exist through the generosity and support of the industry. I never get a 'no' when I pick up the phone, as everyone knows that new talent is the life blood of the industry".
Having launched this first round of Scholarships, the next program is due to open for nominations in February. A scholarship nomination must come from a third party, such as a school or a community or industry stakeholder. When they nominate a willing participant, an industry panel assesses the potential student. ALIA members are welcome to join the assessment panel.
"The selection process was stressful for all of us in 2008 due to the strength of many of the applicants", says Julius. "We managed to bring final selection forward a little, to ease the suspense that we are sure they were feeling. It was a relief for us, and I'm sure for them, when we chose the final seven".
The Advanced Diploma of Technical Production runs from February 16th in Sydney.
www.juliusmedia.com

Dynalite celebrates 20 years with new image
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, lighting control and automation specialist Dynalite will step out in 2009 with a new look, logo and image.
Founded in 1989 by CEO John Gunton, Dynalite has grown from a six-person team in the Australian lighting control industry, to a 130-person enterprise with offices in China, UK and the Middle-East. The company is also represented by a distributor and dealer network in over 40 countries. According to Gunton, the success of Dynalite - which is still Australian-owned with all manufacturing in Sydney - has been the result of picking people who are the best in their field and incorporating a customer focus into every part of the business.
"Our new corporate logo heralds the beginning of a new era for Dynalite," Gunton said. "It represents where we are today and where we see ourselves going. While the future of the global economy might be uncertain, we believe in planning for success and focusing on the future. In our 20th anniversary year, Dynalite won't be looking back, as we continue developing exciting new technologies and launch our own global dealer network."
The company plans to kick-off its 20th anniversary celebrations with the launch of its global dealer network at February's Integrated Systems Europe exhibition in Amsterdam.
dynalite-online.com

BCEC invest in Pro Shop LEDs and Arkaos Media Server
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre continues to expand its’ lighting inventory with the addition of 18 Pro Shop LED strips and 12 Pro Shop GigaLEDS, along with an Arkaos media server. These were acquired to be used mainly in the venue’s Ballroom and Great Hall.
“We’ve been looking at purchasing some LED effects lighting for quite a while now,” commented Michael Kelly, lighting production supervisor at BCEC. “I guess we were looking for some extra eye candy for the stage, bands and corporate gigs.”
Michael visited the Brisbane Show Technology showroom where Adam White showed him some of the latest in LED technology.
“The GigaLEDS really impressed me as they seem very versatile and the price is very good especially as we wanted to be able to afford quite a few of the fixtures,” continued Michael. “The GigaLEds have been great and give good output for their size.”
The new LED fixtures were used on the Tourism Queensland Awards Night (pictured) with the GigaLEDs used as truss feature along the front of house truss. The idea was that the GigaLEDs supplied solid blocks of colour that matched the room colour at the same time.
“We used Studio Due CityColors for table wash and then the GigaLEDs were used to match that and it was quite a good effect,” explained Michael. “The LED Strips were used for the band stage – there was a big reveal whereby the rear of the presentation stage, the cyc, was pulled up to the roof to become a canopy over the stage. The LED Strips were used as a backing for the DJ, highlighting him through the night, and then for the Queen tribute show the LED Strips were placed around the edges of the line array stacks. It was unusual but looked good!”
Michael was surprised at how easily the Pro Shop LED Strips attached to the sides of the line array.
“It was easy to cable tie them around the side and they were very secure. And as they’re so lightweight they didn’t add much to the hanging weight. People have been very impressed with the Strips and the good solid output they deliver.”
The guys at BCEC have only used the ArKaos media system a little but are planning to incorporate it into a lot more shows next year.
“It’s just a matter of getting our operators used to programming it,” he said. “It’ll provide extra depth to the room along with the LEDs and will be used to match and compliment the lighting. We always like to have the latest in lighting technology, it keeps us up to date and hopefully we’ll be able to expand our LED inventory as fixtures are released. With ArKaos we’re trying to get ahead of the game so when more curtains, panels or happy tubes come available – we’ll be ready!!”
www.showtech.com.au

Stolen Gear, Perth
Some equipment was stolen from the Studio at the Subiaco Arts Centre in Perth last weekend.
Please be on the lookout for:

1 x LSC Maxim MP lighting console ( serial # 22513 )
1 x Mackie 1220 Micro mixer (serial # D31764 )
1 x Bose 502 Subwoofer (serial # 52BPOA109634 )

Selecon Wing Range wins Awards of Design Excellence
The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand (IESANZ) recently recognised Selecon’s new family range of performance Wing Wall Washer Floods with two 2008 Luminaire Design : Award of Excellence Awards (one from each side of the Tasman).
The Wing range showcases Selecon’s deep understanding of the requirements and challenges of specialised display lighting with a choice of high performance wall wash floods that offer lighting designers and specifiers the opportunity of using less lights for more light with precision operational features in a single ‘low profile’ design look which minimises intrusion into the architectural space.
Precision pan and tilt allen screw lock off adjustments with reference scales delivering the benefits of standardised set-up and reduced installation and labour times.
One solution, multiple choice! A wide range of light sources (linear tungsten halogen, Halolux, CDM metal halide and compact fluorescent) take advantage of the latest in lamp technologies offering a choice of colour rendering; dimming capability; life hours; energy consumption and cost to meet the varying requirements of different projects.
The single ‘low profile’ look is achieved through the integration of necessary power supplies into the length of the luminaire rather than being mounted in ugly separate housings and is available in three colours: white, black and silver-grey with either track adapter or ceiling rose mounting options.
www.seleconlight.com/wing

Matt's Party Hire launches new name, logo, website and premises
Specialist lighting and creative technologies company, Matt's Party Hire, will now be known simply as "MPH"
The updated name and new logo has now been officially launched, and to help it along they’ve updated and revamped the website too.
You can find it at: www.mattspartyhire.com.au
The website keeps you up to date with all the MPH news and events including equipment lists, recent productions, photo gallery, price lists and product brochures.
To coincide with this, they’ve added new stock to their list of niche products including:
   *  Stagemaker Variable Speed Chain Hoist system
   *  Mainlight Industries MF-3 Moving LED Head
   *  PixelLine Micro W
Adding to:
   *  Mainlight Soft-LED Drapes and Scrims: A light-weight low-resolution screen, the ideal back-drop for any stage show incorporating video content.
   *  MPH LED Balls: Check out their balls.
   *  WholeHog III: Lighting control for the shows that matter.
and much more lighting, effects and rigging equipment & knowledge.
This year MPH moved down the road to new premises in Fitzroy.
The address is 2/62 Rose Street, but you can find them just around the corner on Fitzroy Street.
Source: MPH media release

BCEC chooses Robert Juliat
A few months ago the savvy people of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre’s lighting department decided it was time to invest in new follow spots. Their initial criteria were that the follow spots had to be able to deliver a constant colour temperature over a distance and basically provide a similar performance as their large, aging Xebex spots.
"Our inhouse follow spots were pretty old and so we trialed a few different manufacturer’s follow spots," commented Michael Kelly, lighting production supervisor at BCEC. "The Robert Juliat follow spots were the definite winner."
As a result of their intensive research, two Robert Juliat Victor and two Aramis follow spots were purchased by the BCEC lighting department.
"I really like the inbuilt colour correction and frost," continued Michael. "I also find the gel frame system better where it hangs on the front. They’re portability is also a plus; being able to easily pack them down and move them to another room is convenient. They’re also easy to set up and work with as well as being a quieter unit than we’re used to."
The Robert Juliat follow spots are used on just about every event that passes through the BCEC and Michael reports that his crew loves the fact that they are easier to use and are nicely weighted.
Pictured is Athol Sargood, one of BCEC’s casual follow spot operators.
www.showtech.com.au

More Martin MAC250 Entours for Clear Systems
Clear Systems (Melbourne) have recently added more Martin MAC250 Entours to their range of Martin products.
“Our MAC250 Entours are really popular with corporate, theatre and school clients,” remarked Andrew Bowen, manager and director of Clear Systems. “They have good optics, give high light output plus they have a good range of gobo’s and colours. Importantly, they have great reliability. They’re also ideal for the versatility of work that we do and their small size is useful for some of the smaller venues we work in.”
Pictured are MAC250 Entours, MAC250 Washes, Pro Shop LED Par 64s and a Unique2 Hazer producing a very colourful show for a “Bollywood” themed event.
www.showtech.com.au

Barbizon set up Australian office
Barbizon, who has been setting standards in the lighting industry for over 60 years worldwide, now continues that tradition by offering their services and expertise at their new Sydney location.
Whether your needs are commercial, residential or educational Barbizon can work with you to put together the right package of products and services to produce the results you want at a price that fits your budget.
Products to be distributed in Australia by Barbizon Australia include Element Labs, Smoke Factory, Zylight, Selador and Protapes. Barbizon Australia will also act as international and local dealers for Philips, GE Lamps, Arri, Interactive Technologies, ETC, Jands/Vista, Bron Kobold, KinoFlo, Lee/Rosco Gel amongst hundreds of other brands.
To find out more about Barbizon Australia contact Marshall Harrington on maharrington@barbizon.com or 0414 157 388 or check their international website www.barbizon.com
Download their 404kB PDF brochure here

Osmond Electronics invest in Pro Shop LED gear and ArKaos
Osmond Electronics has been bringing the groove to Adelaide with their Pro Shop LED Video Panels, ArKaos Media Server and Honeycomb 36 LED fixtures.
Four months ago Osmond’s purchased sixteen of the Pro Shop modular LED Video Panels and they were so impressed by their brightness and power, they promptly ordered sixteen more!
“We try to keep ahead of the game here in Adelaide and no one else has anything like this,” commented Justin Accatino, Osmond’s Lighting Hire Manager. “I really like the fact that they are modular with each panel measuring 50 x 50 cm as it allows us to configure the screens in a variety of ways; instead of one big video screen we can place them on columns, rows, facades etc. They offer great versatility.”
Justin is also happy with the brightness of the Pro Shop LED Video Panels having used them in Adelaide nightclubs and he remarked that they are ideal for temporary use in live productions due to the ease of setup and pack down.
For media Justin has been using the ArKaos media server either through a MA Lighting grandMA or simply via a computer. Purchased at the same time as the initial Pro Shop LED Video Panels, the ArKaos completes Osmond’s versatile media package.
“I’d used ArKaos before and really liked it,” said Justin. “It’s really easy to use and a lot of people are now using it. “The LED Screens are operated via a PCI card that is installed into our media server, this means that we have an all in one system; a simple DVI loop out of our computer video card into this PCI card and in turn connection to the LED Screen Control Box…simple, and no need for another computer. I spend a lot of time searching for new media and making my own images.”
Each LED Video Panel is 50 x 50cm and contains 256 pixels in a 16 x 16 matrix. The modules are suitable for the display of real time video, images and text. They are also IP65 rated for outdoor use.
Osmond’s also own thirty of the Pro Shop Honeycomb 36 fixtures which are constantly is use and are popular with local AV companies who love to sub hire them.
“They’re quick and easy to set up, don’t use much power and run cool,” said Justin. “Using them is certainly preferable to setting up a whole heap of par cans. They’re great.”
Another significant purchase for Osmond’s was a JEM Glaciator X-Stream, the mother of all fog effects. The Glaciator can create a total, powerful, ground fog effect for Osmond’s larger productions such as the Police Tattoo and the Clipsal 500.
www.showtech.com.au

grandMA goes to Wellington
MJF Lighting is an expanding New Zealand lighting production company based in Wellington. Managing director Mike Farrand knew a few months ago that it was time to upgrade his inventory with a powerful lighting console and so he thoroughly researched the market.
“We’ve been assessing the market for the past 12 – 18 months to find a console that would suit the current needs of our company but also address our future needs,” said Mike. “We also had a good look at what products are being used around the world. The MA Lighting grandMA certainly looked like it would be the best long term solution for us.”
During his research, Mike was impressed by the grandMA’s track history and the support offered by both MA Lighting and the local distributors.
“We found that a lot of the people that we were talking to were very knowledgeable on the console and had very good experiences operating them,” added Mike. “The console, or the brand, didn’t appear to have a lot of faults and problems that were well know to other brands in the market place. So we knew we were buying something that was going to be reliable and had a very good reputation in the market.”
Mike particularly likes the processing power of the console which enables quick programming, reliable playback and also integration with other parts of the production such as media servers.
“We need a console that could embrace all of the latest advancement in technology,” he said. “It also had to be simple enough to take out on a small corporate show or do the largest production job that would come through the city. The grandMA is easy to use in its’ basic form but has the complexity needed at the other end of the scale.”
MJF Lighting has been in business for eighteen years starting with small theatre shows and band work; today they can cater to big concerts, corporate show or any other section of the entertainment industry. Eight full-time staff are employed at MJF with many casual crew on standby.
“The grandMA will be used on a number of large jobs over the next few months,” commented Mike. “The fact that grandMA is being specified on so many riders was also a factor - last week it was in Christchurch being used for Stevie Wonder. Plus, there is a limited availability of grandMA’s in New Zealand so they’re in high demand. In the past if we needed to hire in a grandMA it was difficult as other companies, who were not reluctant to do so, had their own workload for them. Sourcing off-shore was too costly particularly if it’s only a one or two day event.
“We have traditionally owned Strand and Avolites consoles but I have to say we all love the grandMA. It’s another level up.”
www.showtech.com.au

Element Labs Wins LDI, ESTA Awards
Element Labs won two major awards at LDI in Vegas. The Helix P1 - a flexible LED pixel string that can bend, wrap, drape, and fold - was named Best Debuting Projection Product at the show. The Versa RAY screen, used at the 15th Asian Games, earned an ESTA Rock Our World Award.
Helix P1 allows users to quickly deploy video over large spaces in creative ways. Coupled with flexible processing and RasterMAPPER software, individual strings are merged into one seamless video display. The snap-in diffuser accessory allows one to mount the Helix P1 to signage, scenery, or fabric.
The Rock Our World Awards were created to honor groundbreaking achievements, both products and projects. Out of more than 30 nominations, a screening panel narrowed the field to nine finalists, from which the Asian Games in Doha emerged as a winner. The Versa Ray Screen used at the games covered more than 45,000 sq. ft. In keeping with the circular structure of the Khalifa Stadium in Soha, the screen was also designed to be curved. It is 165m along the curve, reaching 39m at the highest point. It is comprised of 20,000 individual Versa Rays, which, laid end to end, would span more than 36 miles. A total of 762,000 individual LEDs were used, with a pixel pitch of 77mm.
www.elementlabs.com

Clarification on the Phasing Out of Inefficient Incandescent Lamps
The government initiative to remove inefficient incandescent lamps from sale is targeting the major energy wasting lamps in the
community: the 60 - 150w general lighting service incandescent lamps.
Specialist lamps including those used for traffic management, operating theatres, stage productions, photography and movie-making are explicitly exempt from the provisions of the minimum efficiency standards.
Aside from this exemption, the vast majority of the lamps used in production already meet or exceed the proposed minimum efficiency requirements.
However, if you are using a rig of PAR38s (portafloods) you are in deep trouble.
Otherwise, you may just have to go looking for some the newer high-efficiency incandescent lamps for your practical fittings.

Subscribe to Jands' newsletters
Sick of getting newsletters in your email that aren’t relevant for you? Well Jands has decided enough is enough, and have developed a series of e-newsletters that are designed with you in mind. Whether you’re just in the industry and want some background on Jands and what they are doing as a company, or whether you are in a specific market area and want the latest on stock and technical information, there is a publication now coming out for you.
Jands Backstage
Jands Backstage is the quarterly corporate e-newsletter distributed Australia wide. Want to get an insider’s view of Jands? Be the first to find out about the latest projects and news. Subscribe to Jands Backstage and put a face to the name.
Production HUB: [First issue out October 2008]
Production HUB is a new addition to our portfolio of e-newsletters, covering audio, lighting and staging needs of the production and rental markets. Brought to you bi-monthly, Production HUB gives you all the latest goss from the production world. Find out who’s using what in our “Out & About” features; get regular updates on general news and “What’s Hot” in the industry; learn something new through our “Geek Files” and apply your new found knowledge (compiled by our very own Technical Resource Group for your specific needs). Want to stay in the know? Subscribe to Production HUB and know what’s happing in your industry.
Contracting HUB: [First issue out November 2008]
Contracting HUB is our other new addition, covering audio, lighting and staging needs of the contracting market. Focusing on the specific needs of Contractors, Contracting HUB brings you bi-monthly updates on new and existing products through our “What’s Hot” section; offers a range of handy “Geek Files” (compiled by our very own Technical Resource Group for your specific needs); keeps you up to date with who’s doing what in our “Out & About” features; and feeds through regular industry news. Don’t be left out of the loop! Subscribe to Contractor HUB and stay up-to-date with all the developments in the contracting world.
www.jands.com.au

Arup launches theatre consultancy in Australasia
Leading design and consulting firm Arup is expanding its Australasian business to incorporate a specialist theatre consultancy. Arup will offer the full spectrum of theatre design services, including theatre planning and room design, stage equipment, production lighting and audio-visual design.
The new team will sit alongside the highly regarded acoustics business and will form part of Arup’s global network, which incorporates established theatre consultancy practices in Europe and the United States.
The Australasian theatre practice will be led by Don MacLean. Don has 28 years of experience in design, technical direction and project management for performing arts venues. A native of Scotland, Don’s international experience spans four continents, including projects for Universal Studios Recreation Group in Osaka, Euro Disneyland Imagineering in Paris, and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards in Ottawa.
“I’m tremendously excited to be joining Arup in Australasia,” Don said. “We are positioned to expand rapidly and, like all of Arup’s businesses, our local team is fully supported by Arup’s global network of skilled professionals.”
Prior to taking up this new challenge, Don worked as Project Administrator for Cirque du Soleil’s new permanent theatre at the Venetian Macau Hotel and Casino. Since 2001, he has overseen completion of five new Cirque du Soleil theatres in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Macau.
“Don is a highly respected consultant in the theatre industry and has contributed, through his leadership of Cirque du Soleil’s technical theatre building projects, to the advancement of performing arts design,” said David Taylor, leader of Arup’s performing arts business in the Americas. “We are excited to have him in a senior position in Arup’s global arts team.”
Don joins a team of Arup consultants who have been responsible for the delivery of several iconic performing arts venues, including the MRC/MTC Theatre project in Melbourne, Fusionopolis Theatre in Singapore and the refurbishment of the Opera Theatre at the Seoul Arts Centre.
Andrew Nicol, leader of Arup’s acoustics business in Australasia said, “Gaining such a well recognised figure will reinforce Arup’s leadership in arts-related projects in the region.”
www.arup.com

Jands Vista is a Finalist in 2008 ESTA Rock Our World Awards
The Jands Vista lighting control system has been selected as a finalist in the 2008 ESTA Rock Our World Awards for its product application in the largest casino ballroom in Northeastern U.S.
The Rock Our World Awards recognize groundbreaking achievement by ESTA Members in new products, product applications, or projects. These awards were created to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of technology and the designer or integrator who applies the technology in a real world environment.
The casino at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods resort in Connecticut features a 50,000 sq. ft., column free ballroom. The Premier Ballroom (see Figure 1 photo) is designed to be extremely flexible, featuring movable air walls that enable the space to be re-configured into 132 possible combinations, to accommodate events of all different styles and size.
Foxwoods wanted seamless integration and intuitive control of the casino ballroom's complex architectural and entertainment lighting systems. The Jands Vista provides a flexible lighting control system that can handle the variety of ballroom layouts in a visual way. Control of each room's lighting is represented graphically on a screen. If an air wall is moved, the Vista simply updates the lighting and the control screens of the newly adjoined rooms, so the operator can always see what they are controlling.
www.jandsvista.com

CCP invest in Robert Juliat
Perths Concert & Corporate Productions has recently invested in Robert Juliat 2500w Aramis Long throw follow spots.
“The decision to go to RJ’s has been a long time coming and are a welcome addition to CCP’s inventory available in Perth for large scale concerts and summer festivals” said Tim Bradsmith, CCP’s managing director. “The Aramis’ are fantastic in long throw applications and definitely cut the mustard in all of Perth’s large arenas.”
The follow spots have been working hard after being rushed through Perth customs by Show Technology’s Perth Account Manager Gino Lombardi; the Aramis had thirty minutes in CCP’s warehouse for lamp fitting and wiring before they were installed for a Judas Priest Concert that night. Practically straight out of the box and they performed spot-on.
www.showtech.com.au

Selecon Gears Up for LDI 2008
Selecon invites you to visit our Booth #1834 (easy to remember, just think Acclaim Axial 18-34 Zoomspot!) at LDI 2008 being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center later this month. As always, you will be able to check our full product line of leading theatrical performance lighting fixtures; Acclaim, Rama and Arena Fresnels and PCs ; the world’s largest range of ellipsoidals as represented by the unique Pacific range ; traditional Acclaim Zoomspots, Hui and Aurora Cyc / Floods and the very bright Performer range of Followspots. Something for everyone’s venue requirements and budgets!
What’s New?
“I can not believe that is only 575 watts”, said Charles Green, studio manager and lighting director at Boston Catholic Television about the light output of the Rama 6" Fresnel with the new Osram 575W BTH lamp.
Footcandle light output readings taken at spot focus are only 21.5% less than those recorded with the 1000W lamp and, at flood focus 36% less - an impressive 42.5% reduction in energy consumption.
There’s also the Hui Work Light which is proving an extremely popular addition to the Hui family of Cyc, Flood and Groundrow. Fitting the Cyc with wire safety mesh instead of safety glass means that the air flow system works in any position for extended operating hours required for overstage or rehearsal applications.
Plus, there’s the 8-leaf barndoor (you asked for it, we did it) and a new and improved rock’n’roll type color change for the Performer Series range of Followspots for you to take a look at as well.
While you are with us make sure you pick up a copy of our Selecon Performance Lighting catalog and your FREE set of the 7 Switched On posters which have been designed to encourage and assist with the magic of performance lighting.
The Selecon team looks forward to welcoming you on to Booth #1834 so do come, see what we have to offer you and say “g'day” to the NZ crew who've come down to give the North American boys some help with one of the busiest shows on our calendar!
www.seleconlight.com

Lux keep on top of the scene in WA
Since their acquisition nearly twelve months ago Lux’s twelve Martin LC Panels and Maxedia media server have been kept very busy.
According to Lux’s managing director Dave Trapp, the LC Panels have gained great momentum over that time as more and more clients become familiar with this unique product and technology.
“It was an interesting, albeit sometimes a difficult time, initially explaining to corporate clients that this video screen can’t actually display DVDs and high resolution images properly,” Dave said. “They were confused and simply couldn’t conceptualise what this product was, so we set about producing a DVD of images and video of the LC Panels in action.
”This saved many futile explanations and further sold many clients on what an effective, unique production and branding tool the LC Panels are.”
Dave reports that he is continually finding new applications for the LC Panels and that he is getting great results with custom content creation.
”We’ve also found that less is more and subtle applications can be more interesting than simply hanging a big wall of them upstage. In fact, from what initially seemed like a big investment, we’re now considering the acquisition of another twelve panels!”
Lux Entertainment Technology also took delivery of sixteen Martin MAC700s and sixteen MAC250 Entours mid year which, according to Dave, have been kept constantly warm!
”They haven’t had a lot of rest, adding big dynamic looks to our corporate events,” he said. “We had slowed the growth of our lighting department over the previous two years as we spent up on video, LC Panels and sets but it was a great reminder of how important big lighting states are to the look of any room, having such a large inventory now available to us.
”So much technology and yet we haven’t even had to consider opening the lid on any yet as they’ve all worked without fault for the four months we’ve had them. That’s very reassuring, not just in terms of confidence that the Martin units will be reliable on our shows but knowing we aren’t likely to have many - if any - expensive repairs once out of their warranty period. It’s this reduced total cost of ownership that make the Martin lights such good value for money.”
Dave is also extremely please with his Arkaos media server which he describes as an integral part of nearly all of Lux’s events. He is particularly impressed by its’ simplicity and quick set up.
”We use it for creative video control, pixel mapping the Pro Shop DMX LED tubes and driving the LC Panels,” he added. “Teamed up with our MA Lighting grandMA we have a great show control system for lights and video that has allowed us to deliver tight scripts for awards nights and gala dinners with total confidence. We rely less on having several operators all trying to execute cues at exactly the same moment. Now we can pre-produce these cues and know they’ll be perfect. It not only gives us confidence but gives us a competitive edge that our clients really value.”
Lux also recently purchased an 18m diameter F33 truss circle from Design Quintessence which Dave describes as an awesome statement in any arena and especially so in a ballroom.
”A curve of this size is more than a structural element,” reports Dave. “We’ve used it to create curved sets around stage, suspending LC Panels and perspex video screens and adding great depth to the room. We’ve also used it to hang drapes from and because of its size it redefines the boundaries of the room. Clients no longer recognise where the once rectangular room has gone and how it is possible that it now has curved walls! It’s a great look regardless of whether you can see the actual truss or not.”
Lux recently purchased thirty Pro Shop LED IP Strips which Dave has found to be very versatile and inexpensive. They regularly get used to light perspex such as the internally illuminated tiered stages occasionally supplied by Lux.
“While not a Chromabank in terms of consistency of colour, intensity and its field of light they are scarily good in the right application!” stated Dave. “As always the Show Technology team has provided great support with the odd question we’ve had. However we’ve really needed very little support. This must be a testament to the quality of their range – reliable and intuitive to use.”
www.showtech.com.au

Martin Atomics add new dimension
Greg Butt, GRB Lighting’s production manager, has just returned from an exhausting – yet exhilarating – seven week tour of the nation with Gyroscope and Shihad. Sharing the trip were his latest acquisitions; four Martin Atomic Strobes with Colour scrollers.
“The Atomics were absolutely amazing, said Greg. “We did thirty-six shows in seven weeks and they never let me down. They really are my favourite new toy. They add an extra element of excitement to the show especially when you use the spiking with the colours. The colours are brilliant and so intense adding a whole new dimension to the lighting.”
Greg also used some Studio Due CS4’s in his rig but unfortunately he used another brand of moving light. However he is now in the process of discarding these fixtures and is purchasing an entire new moving light rig of Martin MACs in anticipation of another national tour with a top Australian band.
www.showtech.com.au

Show Technology win International Award for the second year in a row
Show Technology has been presented with a prestigious Martin Distributor Award winning the Best Marketing Award for the second year in a row.
Just prior to PLASA, Martin Professional presented a number of accolades to its top performing distributors at a special dinner and awards banquet held at London’s Maroush V restaurant. Soren Storm presented the award to Emmanuel Ziino, Managing Director, and Paul Nicolaou, Victorian Branch Manager.
“For years now Show Technology has shown all around exceptional performance in marketing as well as great support of HQ’s marketing objectives,” said Christian Engsted, Martin Professional CEO. “From their website to their Proshop magazine and newsletters, they are always up to date with their communication, and no distributor exemplifies the power of PR like this one with inspiring case stories with good quality photography and content that help us share their success stories worldwide. Show Technology is a valuable and exemplary partner and we are proud to present them the accolade for Best Marketing for the second year in a row.”
Emmanuel Ziino was very gracious in his acceptance of the award stating that it wasn’t difficult to market the world’s leading brand of lighting equipment!
“Martin continuously develops awesome, reliable products that the market always seems to want,” he said. “Their products are so popular in Australia we never have any shortage of clients willing to say fabulous things about them and there are always plenty of productions and projects in motion that rely on Martin lighting. I am very proud to accept this award especially as it’s the second year in a row which is no mean feat.”
The key to Show Technology’s marketing is that they always have their finger on the pulse; they know where their products are going and what they are going to be doing. This is due to the close involvement that their staff has with their client base, always there to answer questions and offer advice.
“Mark McInnes, our National Sales & Marketing Manager, does a great job keeping track of all the projects using Martin,” commented Emmanuel. “He then feeds the leads to our roving PR person Cat Strom who is very persistent when it comes to getting the story!”
Emmanuel also notes that Luca Sellarulo, Sales & Marketing Support, has done a fantastic job making sure that their clients know about all of the latest Martin products as well as keeping the web site fresh and informative.
Whenever there’s a Martin product stealing the show, you can be assured that Show Technology are already writing the report and taking the photos.
www.showtech.com.au

An Innovative Console for an Innovative Company
Jeremy Koch, managing director of Innovative Production Services, was looking for a lighting control solution that he could foresee using in the long term (rather than a shortterm dead end purchase) and one with a solid support system. His wishes were answered by the Jands Vista S3, the compact version of Jands’ revolutionary Vista Lighting Control System that puts all the fabulous features of the full-scale console into a desk you can fit under your arm.
“Local support was very important,” commented Jeremy. “Immediately we were led to the Vista and then we had to choose which solution was the most cost effective for us in the short term whilst also giving us a platform on which we could build upon in the future.”
Jeremy reports that the Vista S3 is an extremely easy to use lighting console despite describing it as very different. He favours the Vista S3’s compact size which is perfect for the many corporate events that Innovative cater to.
“As far as the operating system of the console is concerned I would call the Vista the Macintosh of the lighting console world,” he claimed. “At the end of the day, all lighting consoles – whether it is a Hog, grandMa or Vista – are all doing the same thing: controlling lights and spitting out DMX512. I was looking for something that was innovative and different which went along with our company philosophy. The Vista ticked all the boxes particularly as far as the confidence I gained from talking with the development team at Jands about future features that will be implemented in the continuous development of the product”.
www.jands.com.au

Showcorp keep a step ahead with ArKaos Media Server
With the ever increasing convergence between the visual mediums of lighting and video for a myriad of live events, it’s becoming essential for event specialists to be able to deliver the latest in this technology to their clientele.
One company keen to keep one step ahead of the crowd is The Showcorp Group who specialize in interpretive theming, creative staging, advanced technical production and faultless presentation. After extensive research into what was available, Managing Director Colin Baldwin opted for an ArKaos Media Server. The ArKaos Media Server system allows for either a self build hardware setup or such in this case of the Showcorp system, Show Technology came to the aid to build a complete hardware setup tailored to the requirements that Colin had specified.
“The ArKaos Media Server was recommend to me by Andrew Winslade of Show Technology as the most practical and affordable solution for our new soft LED backdrop,” remarked Colin. “The system is easy to operate and works perfectly every time. ArKaos is a good quality, medium-priced digital media server solution with plenty of flexible control options. It was exactly what we were looking for in terms of dynamics and cost-effectiveness.”
That’s the beauty of the ArKaos system and the Show Technology built media servers; they can be easily tailored to your pricing versus performance requirements.
Pictured is the ArKaos producing the icon glasses of Buddy Holly in spectacular fashion at the launch of Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story which opens next year at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre.
www.showtech.com.au

Successful return to PLASA for Selecon in 2008
Selecon exhibited at the recent PLASA Tradeshow in London and after being absent from the show floor for the past four years there were new faces, a raft of new product and a new logo for visitors to meet and see as well as the full product line of theatrical and specialised display lighting.
"We decided to attend this year to meet our many new customers from the far flung regions of Continental Europe, and we were successful in reaching these important new contacts. Attendees from Russia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bulgaria and Israel together with our dealers from the UK visited the Selecon stand where we showed the latest new products released this year,” explains Michael Goldberg, Selecon’s European Sales & Marketing Director.
These new products included the high frequency, variable voltage 80V Direct DMX Power Supply which supplies 80V to energy efficient 1200W lamps for the Pacific range and the Rama 175 High Performance Fresnel. The resulting light is bright and white with the output of, or near to an equivalent 2.0/2.5kW mains voltage luminaire - save energy, both power and people with these smaller and lighter units!
Visitors with an interest in specialised display were able to get their hands on Selecon’s latest addition to the architectural line – the small, slim-line Wing range of Wall Washer Floods which offer the choice of traditional tungsten halogen light sources as well as the latest in energy saving high quality metal halide and fluorescent lamps.
Photo: seated left to right - Thorsten Sattler, Selecon Germany; Ritchie Reed, Selecon UK; Rainer Weggen, Selecon Germany and Michael Goldberg standing between Thorsten and Ritchie.
For more on the comprehensive range of Selecon performance lighting www.seleconlight.com

Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300 Wins the Award for Innovation at Plasa 2008
There has been an atmosphere of great satisfaction at Clay Paky for many months now for having succeeded in designing a product that is unique, unrivalled and without direct competitors, capable of filling a gap in live entertainment.
The Lighting Designers noticed the difference and immediately identified Clay Paky's newest product as a creative and innovative tool for their work, specifying it for some of the most important international projects.
The Rental Companies noticed the difference and immediately welcomed the innovative nature of the solution and appreciated the extraordinary performance features of the Alpha Beam 300, purchasing many units and enabling Clay Paky to dedicate complete production lines exclusively to this product, to meet the countless requests received from all over the world.
Only the official acknowledgement was missing, which was not long in arriving: ALPHA BEAM 300 won the Award for Innovation at the Plasa 2008 event held in London on Monday evening on the 8th September.
The acknowledgement was assigned to Mr. Enrico Caironi of Clay Paky. Mr. Matthew Griffiths, Managing Director of Plasa, said that “The judges were impressed by this amalgamation of existing technologies which has created a new tool for lighting designers, offering greater versatility and flexibility”.
Mr Pasquale Quadri, President of Clay Paky, told us: “We are very proud of this award: it confirms that Alpha Beam 300 was exactly the solution that was missing in the world of live entertainment. The on-going contact with lighting designers and all the qualified operators of the sector was a key factor”.
Innovative and complete, compact, service friendly and easy to install and use, ALPHA BEAM 300 is the ideal Moving Light Beam for “live” professional use especially “long throw” to cut through the brightness of stage washes or LED backgrounds, with Aircraft Landing light effects never seen before.
Alpha Beam 300 is very powerful and eco-friendly: thanks to the new special Clay Paky optical group, it is 3 times brighter than an ordinary 1200W wash projector, with the energy consumption of a 300W light bulb. This enables it to be used instead of considerably larger projectors, with enormous savings in energy.
The Aperture and graphics of the “tube of light” can be decided at will by using the 8 fixed gobos available, while a linear frost can be used to pass from a narrow hard beam to a more or less soft one. CMY colour mixing and a colour wheel (8+1) allow the light beam to be coloured at will. A Dimmer on a dedicated channel, stop/strobe and high speed Pan/Tilt complete the ALPHA BEAM 300 configuration.
A number of comments made by lighting designers, rental company managers and operators of the sector that have specified, installed and used Alpha Beam 300 are mentioned below.
LD Giovanni Pinna (Vasco Rossi tour): “the 45 Alpha Beam 300 are the special features of the tour, these are really spectacular products, I saw them three months ago and I fell in love with them: this is a projector that you see and recognise, something really special”.
LD Marco Policastro (“Mary of Nazareth” musical at the Vatican): “ I have always adored the ACLs, and this is the spotlight that is very similar to that type of light, providing in addition, rapid movement. The product is very luminous, versatile, lightweight, adapts to any space and in hundreds of different situations: it is the product that was missing!”
Baz Halpin (LD for the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour and for the Tina Turner tour): "I chose the Alpha Beam 300 for Tina Turner and Queen + Paul Rodgers because of their low power consumption, unparalled output compared to anything else in its class. I was most impressed by their reliability, speed and effectiveness. They are light, bright and pack a powerful punch. I love them".
www.lighthousedistribution.com.au

2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation announced
The 2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation, announced in a special presentation ceremony at the PLASA Show in London, continued the recent trend towards a huge diversity of product nominations, ranging from major lighting, audio and video showstoppers to the less glamorous, but equally essential, tools of the trade.
Over 65 products were put forward this year, all of which were showcased in a stunning new Innovation Gallery, linking Earls Court 1 and 2.
Chosen by a panel of independent judges drawn from across the industry, seven Silver Awards were presented by PLASA Chairman Rob Lingfield to:
Goboland (Stand F31) for their Black Steel Gobo. The judges felt that this product would enhance an established technology and allow designers a greater range of creative possibilities.
Neutrik (Stand K33) for their convertCON. With convertCON, Neutrik has demonstrated that it's possible to innovate within existing defined standards. The judges praised the elegance of the product's ability to slip from one 'sex' to another in a single twist.
Display LED Screens (Stand E61) for their digiFLEX. The judges were impressed by this first flexible LED display solution. The clever rubberised design lends itself to new applications and adds a new dimension to display technologies.
Clay Paky (Stand E47) for their Alpha Beam 300. The judges were impressed by this amalgamation of existing technologies which has created a new tool for lighting designers, offering greater versatility and flexibility.
JB-lighting Lichtanlagentechnik (Stand C83) for their VaryLED A7 Zoom. This new luminaire found favour with the judges as the first moving LED fixture with a zoom function entered into the Awards, heralding a new era that has added depth to LED functionality.
Eilon Engineering (Stand L76) for their Ron StageMaster. Using this company's proven wireless load cell technology with a new software application has allowed those involved in rigging to enhance safety and to remotely monitor changes to the loading on structures.
Global Design Solutions (Stand F79) for their MOBAL 19 Pin Pro tester. Over the years socapex testers have come and gone, but this new development looks set to become an industry standard. The judges found this product simple to use and particularly liked its informative LED display.
The first ever Gold Award went to the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stand G81) for their RSC LightLock. Borne out of a necessity to reduce time and labour during lighting set-up, this is a product that the judges felt demonstrated true innovation in removing the oscillation of truss sections or other lightweight suspension points caused by the rotation of moving lights.
The Environmental Award - which seeks to recognise a product or company that has taken significant steps to minimise the environmental impact of their activities - was presented to Proteus Display (Stand E89) for their new reflective LCD Proteus Display.
This product is an interesting new development of existing technologies giving designers a new tool packaged in an elegant manner. In a climate of increasing energy costs, this is an important carbon offset initiatives enabling users to buy a carbon neutral product.
The Awards Ceremony also gave profile to PLASA's strengthening industry skills initiatives and featured a brief presentation from Live Nation's CEO Paul Latham, the newly-appointed chair of the National Skills Academy, who encouraged the industry to support this major new project.
He then went on to present the monies raised from the Awards nomination fees to this year's specially chosen charities - the National Student Drama Festival, an annual event held in Scarborough, and SABA UK, an arts charity that provides performance and educational opportunities for young people in the live music and performing arts industries.
Matthew Griffiths, MD of PLASA, who hosted the ceremony, commented: "The PLASA Awards are the industry's touchstone for creativity and innovation - the qualities on which our industry was founded and continues to thrive - and we are delighted to give real focus to the impressive range of new technologies coming to the market."

ULA at Chameleon Open day
ULA were on board to support Chameleon Touring Systems Open Day this August, presenting the latest in LED solutions!
On display were the latest in high powered LED fixtures from Robe and iLED. Also on hand, were the ever popular SGM Palco 5’s, E:Cue Fader Unit and Butler and the Le Maitre LSG machine.
Released in June of this year, the Robe RED Wash series of fixtures is based upon RED Technology (Robe Emitted Diodes) and features Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Featured at the Open Day was the RED Wash 3•192, Robe’s new powerful moving head Wash Light featuring RGBW, and utilising 192 Luxeon Rebel LEDs to produce variable optics and output comparable to a 1200 wash fixture. The REDWash 3•192 provides a rectangular light field with a narrow beam spread. Unlike often seen similar effects this fixture provides a unique and fresh approach to concert touring, TV and Event Lighting applications.
The latest release products from iLED were also on demo at the Chameleon open day, including the Pixel LED 80, ParLite 18, and the ColorBank 54. The iLED range of products offers innovative LED solutions for the production, touring, installation and architectural lighting industries, with exceptional output, precision optics and saturated full color. With the second release of the iLED range this July, these fixtures have been in high demand and are now an essential component of major rental inventories across the country.
ULA’s technical specialist, Jesse Radatti, was on hand at the Chameleon open day, and comments “It’s great to take the product out to the market. Especially innovative new products like the Robe RED Wash. This fixture attracted a lot of attention on the day, because it is a little bit different and opens up a whole range of different applications for a LED wash fixture”.
www.ulagroup.com

Logan Entertainment Centre chooses Robert Juliat
The Logan Entertainment Centre, located midway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, hosts a variety of events each year, ranging from theatre shows and concerts through to exhibitions, school productions, markets and award dinners.
The venue has recently replaced all of their aging lighting on their two front of house bars with six Robert Juliat 310 fresnels, with PC lenses, and nine Robert Juliat Lutins, all supplied by The Production Shop.
“We had a bunch of old fixtures from another manufacturer but they really weren’t punchy enough and weren’t quite doing the job they were supposed to,” remarked Darren McBride, Logan’s Acting Technical Supervisor. “We were having trouble with reflectors and focus mechanisms etc, so we decided to replace them and if we were going to spend the money, we may as well have the best. As a result we now have a fantastic array of Robert Juliat fixtures.
The Robert Juliat fixtures have replaced most of the colour wash as well, which was previously achieved by a basic par can two colour wash.
“The PCs are far more versatile,” said Darren. “We can use them for specials, fill lighting and all sorts of stuff now. Having these fixtures has enormously improved the venue.
“Both Robert Juliat models are doing a great job and I’m really happy with them. They give a nice even light, very flat and plain. They really are a joy to work with - the focus mechanism, the barn doors and that whole system is just really good.”
www.showtech.com.au

Four Years’ Worth of New Product from Selecon!
Selecon Performance Lighting is back at PLASA! Since last exhibiting in 2003 Selecon’s commitment to consistent and innovative product development has seen the re-development of a few old favourites and the introduction of several new luminaires building on an already comprehensive theatrical and architectural display range.
Visit the Selecon Booth E103 at PLASA 08 to see Selecon’s full product line of leading performance luminaires which includes the Acclaim, Rama and Arena Fresnels and PCs; the world’s largest range of ellipsoidals as represented by the unique Pacific range; Hui, Lui and Aurora Cyc / Floods and the very bright Performer range of Followspots.
Check out the performance of the new high frequency, variable voltage 80V Direct DMX Power Supply which supplies 80V to energy efficient 1200W lamps for the Pacific range and the Rama 175 High Performance Fresnel resulting in bright white light with the output of, or near to an equivalent 2.0/2.5kW mains voltage luminaire. Save energy, both from the power grid and of the technical team with these smaller and lighter luminaires.
The Wing range of Wall Washer Floods is Selecon’s latest addition to their specialised display lighting range. A single slim-line body design offers the choice of traditional tungsten halogen light sources as well as the latest in energy saving high quality metal halide and fluorescent lamps. Precision lock off, reference scales and effective heat management delivers the performance required by museums, art galleries wherever high quality display lighting is required.
The Selecon team looks forward to welcoming you to Stand E 103 in the second hall.
www.seleconlight.com

Chameleon changes colour
He may have turned a few naïve lighting technicians white in his day but now Tony Davies, managing director of Chameleon Touring Systems, is turning his attention to turning Martin white. We’re talking about Martin MACs of course. In fact Chameleon revealed their white powder coated MAC700’s at their recent Open Day and the response from the lighting rental market was very positive.
Always quick to spot a gap in the lighting rental market, Tony reports that the white MACs have received bookings and lots of interest since their unveiling. In fact the white MAC700’s are just about to be used on the Myer Spring/Summer fashion launch designed by Mark Hammer.
“I think there’s a lot of interest in a non-black moving light particularly in the corporate market,” he commented. “In fact we are looking at a couple of other colours too, maybe gold and silver.”
www.showtech.com.au

PLASA Puts Sustainability Centre Stage
Recent months have seen a landmark development for the events industry with the arrival of BS 8901, a major new standard set to radically transform the events landscape.
Launched at the end of last year and currently going through a series of pilot trials, BS 8901 specifies the requirements for a sustainable event management system. It encompasses all events, from large-scale tours and unique events such as the 2012 Olympics, to music festivals and amateur sporting events. It will take no prisoners, applying throughout the industry supply chain to venues, organising companies and industry suppliers and contractors.
Major event clients such as the London 2012 Organising Committee and the Greater London Authority are already referring to BS 8901 in their tenders. Corporate clients are expected to follow as they work to ensure their own sustainability policies are being implemented throughout their organisations. In addition, event attendees and delegates are becoming increasingly aware of the need to address sustainability. Consequently, this new standard will soon become a minimum requirement to do business in the events industry. Like risk management and health and safety before, it will eventually become part of the way the event industry operates.
PLASA, the main professional body for the sector, has taken a lead on this issue and developed a cost-effective programme specifically geared to help its members implement BS 8901. The programme has been developed in partnership with the Sustainable Events Group and is based around a series of educational workshops supplemented by in-the-field support. SEG were involved in writing the standard and are currently piloting its implementation with a number of major venues and event organisers, including PLASA Events.
The PLASA BS 8901 programme - currently the only programme of its kind in the world - will enable PLASA Members to get ahead of the rest of the industry and to take a leadership position on the sustainability agenda. In addition, as BS 8901 is up for review at the end of 2008, the BS 8901 programme will enable members to have a direct say in the structure and content of the revised standard.
Independent third party certification to the standard is likely to become increasingly important. Third party certification provides credibility and will be a significant advantage as event clients choose to work with organisations that are genuinely capable of improving the sustainability of events. Achieving certification to BS 8901 will therefore provide a competitive edge as event clients become more discerning.
The PLASA programme also includes certification to the standard. Members participating in the programme therefore have the opportunity to be amongst the first to achieve independent certification to BS 8901.
Ruth Rossington of PLASA commented: "Industry is increasingly being challenged to carry out its business in a more sustainable manner. Today, the majority of companies acknowledge that the management of sustainability issues is fundamental to the long-term success of their organisations. By adopting this standard the events industry has the opportunity to lead the world in addressing the sustainability issues facing us all today."
For more on BS8901, see the September 2008 issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine - now available FREE, worldwide, in Digital format.

Show Technology’s Hot Reveals at Chameleon
Yet again the Australian lighting community were amongst the first to see ground-breaking new lighting gear, thanks to Show Technology. Revealed at Chameleon Touring Systems Open Day were two hotly anticipated products: the Martin MAC III and the MA Lighting grandMA2.
Due to be officially launched at this years’ PLASA tradeshow, both of these products are expected to be in high demand and will no doubt be snapped up as they roll off the manufacturing line.
The MAC III is the all new third generation of the Martin MAC moving heads and represents a giant leap in technology from recent products. This new flagship has innovative technology (most of which is being kept under wraps until the official release at PLASA in September) but we can divulge a few things including a new specially designed 1500W lamp; modular design; data communication (bi-directional); diagnostics tools; new dynamic effects; ultra wide zoom; quick speed and much more. The new MAC III will change the way lighting designers use moving heads.
“I thought the MAC III was great!” remarked lighting designer Mark Hammer after the event. “Like most lighting people I’m a bit of an output fan and it seems to be ramping up the output. The zoom range looks fantastic and it also looked great.”
“I was really excited by the maintenance system that Martin has built into the MAC III,” added Dave Jackson, of Group Services Productions. “The ability to download and store calibrations and such is fantastic; you can store back down to a USB key and go back to the factory to see what went wrong with a light or why different modules were swapped etc. It’s going to be a great corporate / production tool.
Dave was also impressed by the grandMA2 describing it as brilliant.
“The thing that grabbed me straight away was how comfortable I felt at the console,” he said. “Ergonomically it’s really well designed – it feels cool and comfortable to sit at and you can grab everything you need really quickly. It really is awesome and I can certainly see us purchasing one further down the line!”
MA Lighting’s brand new grandMA2 full-size controls all kinds of lighting genres like conventionals, moving lights, LEDs, video and media. MA Lighting has kept the intuitive grandMA control philosophy, including the same command line and syntax. However, the company has cleaned up, improved and extended the software, and optimized the colours and views. The advanced networking architecture is even more powerful and allows full upward compatibility from the “old” grandMAs, while a ‘Series 1’ mode also allows for full downward compatibility.grandMA2 offers a complete system solution for a wide range of top-end applications, including theatre-style programming or concert touring multi-user programming sessions. grandMA2 also includes fader wings, giving up to 90 faders per console.
“We were privileged to have both Martin and MA Lighting’s support and were honoured to be showing these new, important products to our market so early,” commented Show Technology managing director Emmanuel Ziino. “The Australian market has become a key testing ground and because of the high level of talent we have here, our suppliers recognise the importance of this markets input”
www.showtech.com.au

PLASA08: technology, education and record registrations
The promise of new technologies and applications, and a dramatically expanded educational programme, has helped drive the PLASA Show to its highest-ever pre-registration figures, with a record total of over 10,000 industry professionals already registered to attend.
With the show a year on since its redesign, the one-floor, two-hall layout has been refined and expanded to allow for new and returning exhibitors.
And with new products topping the 'wish list' of the majority of visitors, there's no doubt that PLASA08 will definitely deliver, according to Show Director Nicola Rowland. "There's a real buzz building around the wide range of technologies and expertise on offer at the show and how these can be applied across the industry. It's a unique chance to see how projects are being delivered, how lighting, sound and AV systems are being re-thought around new technologies and how events, productions and architectural installations, are benefiting from innovative developments."
The trend reflects the growth in demand for products which push the boundaries, with a broadening variety of lighting, video display media, networked audio, data and control systems, becoming the new backbones from which the industry is reinventing the way forward.
Also boosting pre-registration is the fact that, for the first time ever, there is no diary overlap with IBC, helping attract major first-time exhibitors to PLASA08, as well as the return of several major audio and lighting manufacturers, while the presence of staging specialists is also expanding.
PLASA08's education programme will see a significant expansion of last year's seminars, along with several exciting new initiatives and partnerships. They build on the organisation's existing relationships with US trade body ESTA - which is hosting an expanded North American Pavilion - alongside pavilions supported by the ISCE and IOA.
With a strong focus on industry technologies, the seminars will address existing and emerging audio, AV and lighting technologies and their applications, and will be hosted by some of the industry's best-known manufacturers and innovators.
Leading the charge is the first ever PLASA Masterclass, hosted by the winner of the inaugural Gottelier Award, Funktion-One co-founder Tony Andrews.
Cirque du Soleil follows last year's standing room-only session with a new presentation on the 'Challenges of Automation', while a second theatre will host a full programme of Special Interest Sessions. Amongst the issues being addressed in this programme are sustainability, with a presentation by London's Arcola Theatre - the world's first carbon neutral theatre - addressing the implementation and use of energy efficient lighting, a Theatres Trust-led session on Display Energy Certificates and a presentation from the team at the National Theatre on its sustainable lighting strategies.
Another session will focus on the increasingly diverse and exciting world of display technologies from small-format interactive to large-format LED, whilst also under discussion will be the new BS8901 (Sustainable Event Management) standard which will re-shape the way events and venues are delivered in the future.
Other leading industry organisations lending their name to the seminar programme include InfoComm, the Institute of Acoustics and a whole series of seminars from Technologies for Worship. All of these sessions will be free to visitors.
In addition, there will be a series of 'fee-based' intensive training sessions delivered by CAST Software on its range of visualisation packages.
In a major development, PLASA08 will also be the industry platform for the official launch of the Mayor of London's Green Theatre Programme, as part of which there will be a special exhibition focusing on climate change initiatives.
A new Industry Skills Zone, sponsored by PLASA Qualifications, will also spotlight skills development in the sector and will feature industry organisations such as the Arts Council, ABTT, the National Student Drama Festival, the Sector Skills Councils and the team from the new National Skills Academy. It will also act as the Information Point for the new National Rigging Certificate and NVQ developments in the audio and AV sectors, all of which have been given momentum by PLASA's recent accreditation as an Awarding Body by the QCA - the first trade association to be recognised in the entertainment, conference, architectural and communications industries.
The team from the National Physical Laboratory - the UK's National Measurement Institute and a world leading centre in developing and applying accurate measurement standards - will also be in attendance as part of a joint initiative with PLASA to develop collaborative ways of working with the industry.
Sunday's DJ events will also feature a DJ programme, supported by KAM, which includes the Drum & Bass Arena vs Forum DJs spin-off - a chance for aspiring DJs to match their talents against the leading names in drum and bass.
With exhibition space close to being fully sold out, half price visitor pre-registration is receiving record hits as visitors take advantage of the 50% discount on entry passes.
New visitor features will include a coffee lounge, extended wi-fi facilities and fully-equipped registration areas at both Earls Court 1 and 2 entrances.
PLASA08 goes live at Earls Court on Sunday 7 September and runs through to Wednesday 10 September 2008. Register now at www.plasashow.com/register

Suncoast AV’s new showroom sparkles with Show Technology products
Click on images to enlarge


Suncoast AV has unveiled their new showroom which is packed to the rafters with fabulous Show Technology supplied gear!
The L-shaped showroom is also equipped with trussing, audio equipment from notable audio companies such as Audio Telex, and projectors from NEC.
Suncoast AV specialise in top quality installation work around the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane with recent projects including The Wharf Tavern at Mooloolaba, The CBD Hotel in Varsity Lakes and The Villa at Noosa. The crew at Suncoast AV back Show Technology products 100% favouring the reliability of their products and the fantastic service provided.
“We could have gone with a local lighting distributor whose products are OK but we find their backup and service not too good,” commented Brad Galgon of Suncoast AV. “Show Technology’s product are truly tried and tested. Their back up support is very good; you can contact them any time of the day and you’re guaranteed to get someone to help you. They also have some really good training days which are very useful.”
The showroom illustrates many fabulous Martin products such as the colourfulEFX effects series (stretching from the 500 to 800), the popular SCX scanner series, high-output smartMACs, and the powerful MX-10 scanners. Also on display are Pro Shop LED Pars and Truss Toners – in fact Suncoast were the first Show Technology partner to receive these spunky little triangular LED toners which Brad describes as fantastic.
Brad is particularly excited by two of Martin’s newer products; the StageBars, which he is hoping to install into Suncoast’s next big project and the smartMAC whose output he explained as very impressive.
“Martin is getting very good at manufacturing lighting that fits well into architectural applications instead of sticking out like the disco-candy gear,” he remarked.
www.showtech.com.au

LSC invests in australian built products
With the current trend of outsourcing product manufacture to Asian countries, Australian Lighting Control System manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems has bucked the trend and invested heavily in expanding manufacturing within its own home market.
LSC’s Managing Director, Gary Pritchard, explains – “Although the perceived financial benefits of manufacturing in Asia are tempting, the stories of inferior quality products and lost Intellectual Property experienced by other companies exploring this option, have convinced us to invest here in Australia. We are very protective of our Intellectual Property (designs) and we pride ourselves on the high quality and enduring products we build. Both of these qualities, we felt, could be at great risk if outsourced to areas that are hard to directly control from Australia.”
To show our customer base that LSC products are indeed “Products of Australia”, the company has recently qualified for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Australian Made” campaign, recognising its commitment to Australian designed and manufactured products. Gary adds “There is much confusion about where products actually come from these days and joining this program was we felt an independent way of confirming that the products we sell are fully manufactured in Australia to our exacting standards. Participation in this program allows us to use the Government owned green and gold kangaroo 'Product of Australia' logo on qualifying products".
LSC recently moved to new purpose built premises – doubling its previous floor space. The manufacturing and warehousing areas have been designed with a more open plan suitable for the Lean Manufacturing principles that company has adopted. Staff numbers have increased by 30% over the last 12 months with recent emphasis on the Sales and Engineering sectors of the company. Further investment in design tools and business management systems have aided in the increased efficiency the company has experienced. Gary adds: “The building was certainly a big factor in LSC’s expansion program, but employing the right staff, designing the right products and delivering what we say we’re going to do, have undoubtedly increased the confidence of our customers in the LSC name. We are proud to be an Australian owned and operated company, building and shipping Australian made products to all corners of the world.”
For more information on the Australia made Campaign please visit www.australianmade.com.au
www.lsclighting.com.au

Church opts for Smart Lighting
Christian City Church Bridgeman Downs is located on Brisbane's northside. It has a dynamic, thriving congregation of 2500 members who regularly pack out the ever-lively auditorium. The time had come to invest in some intelligent lighting for the auditorium and local supplier Brisbane Sound Group recommended the new bright and economical Martin smartMAC.
The smartMAC is a bright 150 W moving head profile luminaire that offers owners a number of benefits: superior reliability, long service intervals, total silence and reduced power bills thanks to a unique fanless cooling system that avoids forcing dust and pollutants into the fixture. The smartMAC kicks out an impressive show of multiple effects and colour as well.
Steve Ryan, the Musical & Technical Director for the Church, is delighted with his six smartMACs which are small on footprint yet big on impact. He has known about Martin’s solid reputation for reliability and with his smartMACs, he’s looking forward to minimal maintenance.
”The fixtures are ideal for us,” commented Steve. “I particularly like their low noise emission which is very important for us. They also have an impressive light output, great gobos and colours which are easy to swap. I also like their smooth running. It’s also great, in today’s climate, that they are efficient with energy consumption. I believe that they are also quick and easy to get at for servicing but of course, we haven’t had to do that as yet!”
www.showtech.com.au

AV magazine available free to AV industry participants
AV - the magazine for audiovisual professionals, is being launched this week by Alchemedia, the publishers of the well-known Venue and Audio Technology magazines. Subscriptions are free to participants in the AV industry.
The first issue contains a wide range of articles including
· the use of video elements in the MTV awards show and Hillsong's 2008 DVD recording session.
· how to chose the right colour temperature correction filter for shooting video screens
· CCP Perth's new IMAG system.
· Using AMX to order coffee.
· the convergence of the AV and IT industries as discussed at InfoComm 2008 in Las Vegas.
To get your copy of the premier issue, go to the AV website www.av.net.au and fill out the online subscription form.

Showtech to Issue Entertainment Industry Red Card
Showtech have announced that they are in the process of becoming registered with Worksafe to be able to issue the Entertainment Industry Red Card, formerly known as "construction induction training"
Showtech will be making a formal announcement soon, but as the requirement for such certification is imminent, they have already begun receiving enquiries about the situation.
In the interim they are taking registrations of interest for the course, and will be emailing details of courses as soon as they become available.
To register your interest send an email to redcard@showtechaustralia.com.au
Please include "RED CARD" in the message subject
and include your
Company name
Your name or contact name
Address
Phone number
E-mail
If you are registering on behalf of a company, please include how many people you wish to enrol.
www.showtechaustralia.com.au

Martin LC Panels a powerful new tool for Resolution X clients
Resolution X is excited to announce the addition of Martin LED LC Panels to their hire department. “It has taken 6 months of market research, but we are excited to add this new product to our inventory,” says Tim Hall.
Being the first to hold hire stock in Melbourne has meant the panels have been extremely busy. They have already been in use on The Logie Awards, Wheel of Fortune, The Footy Show (pictured) and numerous corporate events.
As part of the purchase Resolution X has now added fibre optic DVI links, DVI splitters, LCD monitors, quality DVI cables and all rigging accessories.
“The LC Panels give a powerful new tool to our clients,” added Tim. “The feedback from clients who have used them has been fantastic and I can only see the demand growing for this product.”
www.resolutionx.com.au
www.showtech.com.au

Robe's Digital Roadshow
The latest additions to the Robe family have reached Australian shores and have toured the East Coast in the Robe Digital Roadshow.
Melbourne's famous Robe venue, the Queens Bridge Hotel (QBH) played host to the first leg of the Digital Roadshow on the 3rd and 4th of June, giving both ULA clients and Lighting Designers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new Robe Digital line up. Leading industry figures from all over Victoria came to see the exciting new products first hand and to experiment with products they had never used before.
On show were the exciting new Robe DigitalSpot 3000 DT and the DigitalSpot 7000 DT, which did not disappoint. The attendees were also treated to the Australian debut of the new Robe REDWash 3•192 which utilizes the new Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Also on display was the Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungsten following on from its debut at this years ENTECH.
The Digital Roadshow continued on to ULA's Sydney facility on June 5th. On hand to present these fixtures was Robe's Managing Director, Joseph Valchár, who was overwhelmed and delighted by the level of excitement and positive feedback he received about the Robe products in Australia. "Australia has really embraced Robe" says Josef "and the new DigiSpots really have people's attention!"
The Robe's then travelled on the following week to events at the Gold Coast's Convention Centre on the 11th and Brisbane's Powerhouse Theatre on the 12th. Both events were attended by Queensland's industry leaders who were very impressed by the new Robe Digital products, sparking excited discussion around the room as they got their hands on the fixtures for the first time.
The Robe Digital Roadshow is part of ULA's continual commitment to providing clients with the best products, information and support to help grow their businesses. "It was a great to see the excitement on everyone's faces when they got to really see what these new (Robe) fixtures can do… Overall a fantastic opportunity for everyone who attended" stated Blair Terrace, ULA's National Sales and Marketing Manager.
The new Robe Digital and LED range will be coming into stock over the coming weeks to Robe's exclusive Australian distributor, the ULA Group. For more information or for a chance to book a hands on demonstration of the new Robe products, please call 1300 ULA GROUP : 1300 852 476.
www.ula.com.au

New book - Entertainment In Production
Entertainment Technology Press and writer and lighting programmer & designer Rob Halliday announce the release of two new books, Entertainment In Production 1994-1999, and Entertainment in Production 2000-2006.
Gathering together more than a decade's worth of magazine articles on the production of shows written by Rob Halliday for publications such as Lighting & Sound International, Lighting Dimensions and Total Production, the two books provide a comprehensive record of the creation of some of the biggest shows of the period, looking at the projects, the people behind them and the technology involved and how it has evolved over time.
The books covers all of the 'backstage' elements of the shows, including lighting, sound, staging, automation and more, featuring the work of designers Acme Sound Partners, Francois Bergeron, Ken Billington, Andrew Bridge, Andrew Bruce, Bob Crowley, Jonathan Deans, Bob Dickinson, Michel Crete, William Dudley, Rick Fisher, Paul Groothuis, Wendall Harrington, Mark Henderson, Howard Harrison, David Hersey, Natasha Katz, Luc Lafortune, Nigel Levings, Matt McKenzie, Anne Militello, Tony Meola, John Napier, Nick Ormerod, Chris Parry, Kenneth Posner, Paul Pyant, Mike Walker, Anthony Ward, Patrick Woodroffe and many more.
http://www.etbooks.co.uk

More Martin gear for Group Production Services
As the photo shows, Dave Jackson of Group Production Services is elated with his recently acquired Martin MAC700 profiles and MAC250 Entour washes.
“We purchased the MAC700’s because clients were always specifying them plus we already had MAC500, MAC600 and MAC250 Entour profiles,” he said. “The MAC700’s have a fantastic output, great colour mixing and they’re a handy size. Also, they’re reliability has been great.”
Group Production Service’s MAC700’s have just finished a handful of Queensland dates with the band Cut Copy (pictured) with lighting designed by Anthony Petruzzio. The rig included MAC700’s and MAC600’s as well as some Atomic Strobes plus twelve Martin Stage Bars situated on vertical pipes at the back of the stage.
“The Martin Stage Bars were running in high resolution mode with multiple patterns running through them” explained Dave. “The Stage Bars are awesome in fact we can’t keep enough of them in the factory! It’s the best LED fixture – you can actually light stuff with them. You can have four of them on a stage for side washes and they end up lighting the whole stage.”
Dave is also having fun using his new MAC250 Entours which he describes as great and a fixture that he loves for its punch and nice colours.
www.showtech.com.au

Phaseshift purchase another grandMA
Phaseshift Productions has recently finished a national tour with k.d.lang who was accompanied by the company’s new MA Lighting grandMA Lite console.
Lighting designer Mike Duncan had requested a full size grandMA for control slaved with a grandMA Lite for back up. His rig included eleven Martin MAC700 washes, thirteen MAC700 profiles, two MAC2000 performances, ten conventional profiles and a LED star curtain.
“It was a simple, elegant show,” commented Jeremy Nolan, Phaseshift’s system technician for the tour. “It was tasteful to k.d’s music with some simple yet effective cyc looks.”
Jeremy reports that the grandMA set up ran smoothly with no issues what so ever.
“When we knew that we needed another grandMA we looked at buying another full size console but for our applications, the grandMA Lite was the better option,” he said. “It’s more practical for us as many people run back up consoles these days. Really the grandMA Lite does everything the larger console can but it’s a lot smaller.
“Since acquiring our grandMA Lite is has been on numerous shows, working flat out. It’s a really powerful console that is small so it can fit into many situations especially the corporate work that we do. It’s become a very popular, little desk!”
www.showtech.com.au

TLS Production switch to Martin MAC’s
Perth-based TLS Productions custom design and supply lighting, audio, and visuals for large and small events including concerts, product launches, exhibitions and conferences, award nights, public, private and corporate events.
Their moving light inventory has traditionally been a competitor’s product but finally TLS have seen the light and opted to purchase Martin MAC’s! Last month they took delivery of eight Martin MAC700 fixtures plus eight Martin MAC250 Entours.
Production Manager Guillaume Laurent found clients consistently requesting Martin MAC’s and so, to keep up with technology trends, he raided his piggy bank and finally committed himself.
“The fixtures are great, compact and the price was right,” he added. “The MAC’s do what they’re meant to do. In fact I couldn’t go wrong with the purchase. The MAC700’s are being used for a wide variety of events and I’m really impressed by the quality of light that comes out of them. I’m quite surprised by the variety of looks I’m able to achieve with the MAC700’s, they really are effective.”
“The MAC250 Entour’s were certainly a welcome bonus!” he said. “They’re great for our smaller shows and like the MAC700’s, they’re very compact. When we picked up all sixteen of the MAC’s, I was able to fit them all in one one-ton van which was pretty cool and something I never thought I’d be able to do!”
www.showtech.com.au

Barco Acquires High End Systems Inc.
Barco announces the acquisition of High End Systems, Inc., a global technology provider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls. Based in Austin, Texas, High End Systems employs 156 people and is a profitable company with USD 44 million sales in 2007. With the merging of two strong industry players, this acquisition reinforces Barco’s leadership position in the fast converging video and lighting segments. The total value of the transaction is USD 55 million, which implies an EBITDA multiple of around 8 on the past 12 months. The impact on 2008 EPS is estimated to be about neutral due to the required IFRS restatements.
Eighty percent of High End Systems’ sales are realized in the Events (Rental & Staging) market, which makes it a perfect match for Barco. Today Barco is already the leader in four product areas of this market with its LED video displays, its large venue projectors, Creative LED products and a full range of Image Processing products. High End Systems will be fully integrated into Barco’s Media and Entertainment division.
With the growing convergence of lighting and video technologies, the acquisition of High End Systems is a merger of two strong industry players and as a combined force it will hold a leading position in this converged digital video and lighting space, enabling further growth. This is fully in line with the strategic goal of enlarging Barco’s presence in each of the key markets it is active in.
Stephan Paridaen, President of Barco’s Media and Entertainment division states: “We are proud and excited about joining forces with the leading player in the digital lighting market. High End’s differentiated product line-up and recent product introductions are clearly proof of their market-led vision and strong R&D focus. We look forward to introducing many new and exciting products into the converged lighting/video space together.”
“The acquisition is a great outcome for the employees of High End Systems and we are confident that the combined creativity and customer focus of Barco and High End Systems will deliver superior technology for the global entertainment markets,” said Merritt Belisle, Chairman of High End Systems, Inc.
The acquisition provides Barco also with an additional patent portfolio in the digital lighting market, along with increased distribution channels and product offerings worldwide. The acquisition further strengthens Barco’s position in North America, another strategic goal, and will create an opportunity to strengthen its natural hedging over time as the High End Systems product portfolio will be further rolled out globally.
High End Systems, Inc. was majority owned by Generation Partners, a US private equity firm (www.generation.com).
More details on the acquisition will be provided with 2Q08 results on 23 July 2008.

Entertainment Installations get even more Martin MAC700’s
Entertainment Installations on the NSW Central Coast has increased its ever-growing Martin MAC inventory with the purchase of four more MAC700 profiles taking the total MAC700 tally to sixteen. Having taken advantage of Show Technology’s recent promotion, whereby if you purchased a MAC700 you got a free MAC250 Entour, Neale Mace, managing director of Entertainment Installations is one happy client!
“It was a great value-for-money offer I couldn’t resist!” said Neale. “Our MAC700’s are becoming a regular workhorse on our larger shows. In fact we were running out and needed some more anyway and I don’t think they will be the last ones we buy either!”
Neale describes the MAC700 as an extraordinary light that is reliable, has a fantastic output, great colour mixing, superb effects and zoom capabilities…..what more could a guy want? Neale is also delighted with his bonus MAC250 Entours which he finds ideal for the corporate and smaller size shows.
Entertainment Installations currently have a total of sixty-four Martin MAC’s including MAC700 Profile, MAC250 Entour, MAC250 Wash and Martin TW1’s.
Four recent concerts that relied on the MAC700s for the majority of their lighting were Sebastian Bach who utilized 8 x MAC700, 8 x Martin TW-1, and 4 x Martin Atomic Strobes whilst Whitesnake had 8 x MAC700, 4 x Studio Due CS4 and 8 x Martin TW-1. Sonu Niigaam used 12 x MAC700 and Porcupine Tree (pictured) had 8 x MAC700 profiles.
Eight MAC700, as well as some TW1’s, go on tour this week with Shannon Noll. Bryce Mace has designed the lighting which will travel in style in Entertainment Installation’s new truck.
www.showtech.com.au

Innovative keep innovative with Martin
Innovative Production Services has increased its inventory with some innovative products; four Martin MAC TW1, four MAC700 profiles, four MAC250 Entours and eight Martin Stagebar 54Ls.
Jeremy Koch, Innovatives’ managing director has a strong theatrical background as does one of his lighting employees Alex Grierson and so they were both drawn to the TW1.
“Alex has a lot of passion and theatricality in his design and we were looking for something new and different for him,” commented Jeremy. “We needed a product that was not only cost-effective and lightweight, but also it needed to have a certain level of market acceptance. This was our first major moving light purchase and we needed to be confident that our first step into the market was going to be a good decision and have a positive return on investment.
“We found the TW1’s to be nothing short of amazing. We lit a gig at the Hordern Pavilion and the front wash of the entire stage was done by just four MAC TW1 fixtures. They’re extremely bright, extremely quiet – in fact they’re awesome!”
Innovative recently took advantage of one of Show Technology’s fabulous deals – Buy a MAC700 profile and get a MAC250 Entour for free! This deal came at exactly the right time for Innovative who required a fixture that was small and light for their smaller jobs but at the same time, as they are doing so many larger jobs these days, a light that would satisfy the requirements of these larger shows and the MAC250 Entours were just not bright enough.
“We couldn’t find one light that was ticking all of these boxes but once this deal came up we saw it as a great opportunity!” he said. “The MAC700’s satisfy are larger jobs whilst the MAC250 Entours are deal for the smaller productions. Both lights are fabulous and ideal for their required applications.”
Jeremy continued spending with the purchase of eight Martin Stagebar 54L LED luminaires to initially meet his needs for some ‘eye candy’ that was too expensive.
“The colours that come out of the Stagebars are just stunning,” he said. “The white and the amber LEDs make such a difference. Once we started to use the Stagebars properly I realised that they weren’t just eye candy and that you could quite satisfactorily light a stage with them, from a performance perspective. I think they’re really the first LED product on the market that allows you to use it as a light rather than just an effect”.
www.showtech.com.au

Judith Wright’s grandMA is just dandy
Brisbane’s Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts is a cutting-edge centre which incorporates a 300-seat performance space, modern art gallery, artist studios, a screening room, purpose built administration and storage facilities, workshops and theatre, music, dance and circus rehearsal spaces. The Centre prides itself on being able to offer the latest in lighting and sound technology and so it’s no wonder that their most recent acquisition was a MA Lighting grandMA Lite lighting console plus a grandMA NSP, grandMA Video Server and a PDA Wireless Kit.
The time had come to replace the Centre’s aging ETC Express 250 and so Senior Technician Keith Clark began a search for the ideal console.
“I was looking for a console that made control of moving lights easy as well as conventionals as we have a fairly large conventional rig,” he said. “It needed to be able to handle both types of lighting in an easy manner for live purposes, which is about 60% of the work that we do. The other 40% is plotted in a similar way to theatre shows. Really there weren’t that many options on the market that already had proven industry experience. There were other consoles that we were interested in but we felt they were too young in their life span or were heading down a path we were not suited too.”
Keith was determined that his Centre was not going to be used as a guinea pig by trialing newer consoles available and the fact that Brisbane already has several grandMA’s in various venues certainly helped him make his decision.
“The Powerhouse and QPAC both have grandMA’s which is useful for when we have to find extra crew,” he commented. “It’s really handy that so many lighting operators in Brisbane are familiar with the grandMA platform.”
The lighting control set up consists of a grandMA Lite control console running into a hub which in turn runs off to the grandMA NSP, a grandMA Video Server and to a PDA plus a production desk laptop.
“With a plotted show we use the laptop as a backup,” added Keith. “We went with the grandMA Lite rather than the full size grandMA just because of size really. As a live console controlling movers it’s nice and easy to use whilst as a plotting console there’s a lot of stuff you can do with it although it is a bit of a step up for programmers to come to grips with. Most of our production work is only done in this venue and won’t be played elsewhere so we can be very specific in our plotting.”
At the same time the Centre also took delivery six Martin MAC TW1 moving tungsten fixtures which he describes as outstanding.
“Their colour mix is really nice, they’re very quiet and they just fit nicely into this venue,” said Keith. “As this venue is quite small with little room reverb any noise made can be really heard consequently for un-amplified or low amplification events the TW1’s work well. Considering the features that they offer, the TW1’s are also quite small. The mechanical dowsers on them are good although we’re running internal dimmers.”
www.showtech.com.au

Sing Hallelujah for the Martin MAC TW1!
Handel’s triumphant Hallelujah chorus provided the first musical notes to be heard in the newest addition to Melbourne’s cultural infrastructure, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, which was lit for the first time recently at Melbourne Recital Centre at Southbank. 
A significant project of the Victorian Government, through Arts Victoria and Major Projects Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre is scheduled to open to the public in the first quarter of 2009.
Lighting this prestigious event was Paul Jackson who chose Clearlight Shows to supply, install and operate the lighting for the reveal on March 26th of the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. John McKissock, Clearlight’s managing director, recommended his recently acquired Martin MAC TW1 tungsten moving lights for the event.
“I can say I love the TW1 and everyone that has used them has the same response,” he commented.
“I needed a fixture with high colour rendering in a tungsten format,” added Paul. “It also needed a good colour mix that had a really good fade curve on it. Because we were revealing the roof of the Recital Hall we needed to come up out of black very gradually, smoothly and evenly with complete control. We also needed a fixture that was very, very quiet given the acoustic context we were in.
“I thought the TW1’s were excellent. I wasn’t using them as a moving fixture rather as a colour wash unit. I’ve never worked with a tungsten-based, moving head unit as punchy or as clean as the TW1.”
As well as the twelve Martin MAC TW1 fixtures Paul used one Martin MAC700, twelve Pixel Par 90, two Selecon 5.5-13 Pacifics, twelve Selecon 14-35 Pacifics and eight 2kw Selecon Fresnels. All was controlled with the Clealright’s new Zero 88 LeapFrog 96.
Now just past the half-way mark in its construction, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is the centrepiece of the purpose-built Melbourne Recital Centre. Destined to become home to Melbourne fine music when it opens, it is a 1000-seat modified shoebox-shaped hall based on the classic proportions of the Vienna Musikvereinsaal.  It is named in honour of Victoria’s most generous and longest serving philanthropist, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, in recognition of her legacy, and to pay homage to her passion for music and for nurturing Australia’s finest young artists.
www.showtech.com.au

HES Debuts On-Line Training Centre
High End Systems announces the release of a new on-line Training Centre. This special portion of the HES website is dedicated to training resources, including new videos and tutorials with specific information about Wholehog consoles, digital lighting products and new automated luminaires. Users can quickly navigate through the information or view short training videos for in-depth tutorials on many topics.
Schedules for training sessions on automated and digital lighting fixtures as well as Wholehog consoles have also been expanded to meet the demand and help eliminate the waiting list. A new Wholehog training date just added to the year-long schedule is June 24-25 in Austin, TX.
“We’re really excited to debut the new online Training Center,” says Cat West, HES Console Training Specialist. “Our goal was to have a place where our users could not only find information about our training classes, but also learn more about the products through videos and online tutorials. The best part is that these new resources are available free of charge, at any time, to anyone with an Internet connection. We’ll be adding more videos and tutorials to our Training Center in the weeks and months to come.”
The Training Center is available through links on the HES website under Support or directly at http://training.highend.com

Artistic Licence celebrates 20 Years
Artistic Licence has been celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, marking the time during which the company has evolved from its rock 'n' roll origins into a company focused on architectural lighting and installations, whilst simultaneously developing its international presence.
Talking to Robert Bell in 2004 for his book Let There Be Light, managing director Wayne Howell says: " I take the company name quite seriously. Lateral thinking is the most important part of a design . . . (in addition) you make it as future proof and reusable as you can."By focusing on the two halves of the company - product development and project design & installation - Howell has developed a product range which can be taken both as total solutions or as components for incorporation into individual designs.
Feedback has always been of prime importance to Artistic Licence's work. "It's not just RDM and Art-Net that offers two-way communication," states Howell. It is the attendance at tradeshows and the feedback derived from clients, the involvement in industry trends and the direct work on installations and projects which keep the refresh rate of product development high at Artistic Licence, says the company.
Recently Nich Smith approached Artistic Licence when lighting the John Murray Archive in Edinburgh. Using Candle-Power LED dimmers for the showcase lighting, Smith specified the Candle-Power dimmers for their ability to control both 1W and 3W LED fixtures in the same enclosure.
"It was particularly satisfying to provide these dimmers," says Howell, "since we had just launched the product when the project came up. The timing was ideal and provided the first sale for us."
The celebrations for Artistic Licence's 20th anniversary are to be followed by the launch of Artistic Licence Asia. Headed by Simon Fraser, the new company will build upon the earlier success of the existing sales office, taking Artistic Licence project and product solutions to a wider audience in the Middle East & Asian architectural markets.
The company has evolved from a long business relationship with Fraser of Ptarmigan Consulting. "We took a couple of years to assess the market potential and to work out how we could work together," says Howell. "We have now decided it is time to make it official and are very excited to be launching the company in Asia this month. Simon and I have a very similar, no nonsense, approach to business and the Hong Kong operation will be run in along similar lines to Artistic Licence in the UK."
www.artisticlicence.com
Australian Distributor: Balanced Technology www.balancedtech.com.au

ResX takes tungsten loaded MAC’s
Resolution X has taken its first delivery of Martin MAC TW1 80V wash fixtures. Already in service, the MAC’s have hardly stopped working since arriving.
“We’re excited to have them as everyone seems to want them!” states Russell Brebner, Production Services Manager at ResX (pictured). ”They are big, bright and have great colour mix - perfect for stage washing.”
Liz Beedle, ResX’s head of moving lights, has been amazed at the number of people who have stopped when the TW1’s are being prepped.
“No-one can believe they are actually running – there is no noise!” she said.
“The TW1’s compliment our already large MAC700 profile and wash inventory,” added ResX director Tim Hall. “They also sit well with our VL500’s. I look forward to seeing the TW1’s in action as we already have TV, Opera and Theatre enquires for the units.”
www.showtech.com.au

The Land of the Long White Cloud gets Mistier
New Zealand is already known as the land of the long white cloud and now it’s even mistier with the recent arrival of the Look Solutions Unique 2 hazer!
Auckland hire company Oceania Lighting recently took delivery of two Unique 2 haze machines and Simon Garrett, director, claims that he is now a 100% convert to these powerful machines.
“The Unique 2 hazer is the best that we have ever run in hire in terms of low noise, output, reliability and control,” he remarked. “I‘ve tried lots of hazers and apart from our oil based crackers, had constant reliability problems. I‘ve got no complaints about our Unique 2 units.
I really needed a powerful water based option to look after singers for obvious reasons as well as the new generation data projectors as the AV boys were insisting on no haze.
“Control is reasonably intuitive and we like the Unique 2’s independent, variable adjustment of pump and fan combined with almost real time adjustment from the console. I was also knocked out by the sheer volume of haze they produce when maxed out - two units can do the deed in an arena. The features taken for granted like its higher volume fan, built-in timer and air filtration, have made our Unique 2 an instant request item and popular migrant to the country.”
Pictured are the Unique 2’s effortlessly providing plenty of atmospherics for Kiwi rock band Pluto.
www.showtech.com.au

Robert Juliat Super Korrigans are Gold
Robert Juliat follow spots are famous for their superb mechanical design and are in keeping with the company's well-earned reputation for renowned optical design. The Super Korrigan is a replacement for the 1200W HMI Korrigan followspot. It incorporates a new double-condenser optical system that produces 25% more light than the older model.
Last year, the Gold Coast Arts Centre invested in a couple of the world-famous Robert Juliat Super Korrigan followspots and the venue’s lighting crew is still over the moon with the purchase!
"Compared to other followspots on the market we found the Korrigans to be uniquely compact and light,” remarked Russell Jones, senior lighting technician at GCAC. “The crew thinks the Super Korrigans are great and everyone loves them. We love their output, the smooth operating of the iris and the fact that we’ve got the DMX models too. The way that the sliders work is fantastic. Externally, the follow spots are not very hot either so there’s not much of a burn factor.”
Russell further commented that the followspots are easy to maintain, they are very user-friendly, and they are extremely easy to use for the followspot operator.
The Gold Coast Arts Centre is one of the country’s busiest hosting a wide variety of productions from in-house musicals to comedy acts and many touring shows. Russell reports that the Super Korrigan followspots are a guaranteed hit with the touring crews who continually rave about their brightness.
Standard features of the Super Korrigan include flat field, hot re-strike, a fully closing iris in a removable cassette, a 100% closing dimming shutter (a DMX-dimming shutter is optional), and a six-frame colour changer that incorporates the popular fingertip shutter controls that were first introduced in the Topaze/Manon models. There are two types of colour changers available. The Super Korrigan comes with a boomerang, but there is an optional push/pull, which is the silent-acting, side-mounted colour changer.
The Super Korrigan comes standard with an A-size gobo holder, removable gel frames, frost, lamp access panels with kill switch, modular reflector and condenser lens assemblies, hinged barrel cover for ease of maintenance, and a large ergonomic wraparound handle. The unit is well-balanced and easily moves on the tripod.
Photographed is Alex Fox, GCAC’s head follow spot operator with Russell Jones (wearing glasses).
www.showtech.com.au

Rockhampton’s Pilbeam Theatre upgrades with an ETC Eos
There has been a history of ETC consoles residing at Rockhampton’s Pilbeam Theatre and so it was no surprise that an Eos was recently purchased to keep the venue up to date with technology.
Laurie Clarke, the theatre’s Senior Technician, still had a good look on the market to see what other lighting manufacturers could offer but nothing else could tempt him.
”Previously we had been using an ETC Obsession II but it was time to upgrade,” commented Laurie. “After researching what’s available we decided that the ETC Eos best suited our needs. The fact that it has basically the same syntax as the Obsession means that our casual pool of operators can use it quite easily. Familiarity and comfort were factors in the purchase.”
Laurie has discovered that the Eos is a console that an experienced operator or a novice would be able to operate in no time at all.
”It’s easier to set up than other consoles and certainly easier to use,” he said. “All of the staff rave about the Eos. It has a really good user interface, with the touch screens and faders well laid out. In fact I really like the touch screens and the way that the moving light portion of it works. It makes control of our moving lights fast and simple. It’s fantastic at handling mixed lighting rigs with neither moving lights nor conventionals more important than the other.”
www.jands.com.au

SCEC adds more grandMA’s to inventory
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has added two more MA Lighting grandMA Lite consoles to their inventory which already has a full size grandMA and a couple of grandMA Ultra Lite consoles. Pictured is SCEC lighting staff undergoing comprehensive training on their grandMA’s.
The grandMA consoles were chosen for a variety of reasons; their famous user interface, their power with either moving or conventional fixtures, the ease of accessing attributes, they’re quick to learn and superior engineering.
“Basically they are just so user friendly,” stated Paul Davison, SCEC’s Manager of Audio Visual Services. “That’s really important when you have so many operators. Also the service and back up from Show Technology is second to none.”
The Centre also purchased twenty-four more Martin MAC250 Entour moving head fixtures to bring the grand total to a huge one hundred and twenty-four Entours.
“The Entours are ideal for the rooms which we use them in,” said Paul Davison, SCEC’s. “Their light output, physical size and functionality make them a perfect package. They’re also rock solid reliable.”
www.showtech.com.au

Robe Launches Six Products at Prolight + Sound
Robe Lighting launched six major new products at Prolight+Sound 2008, and again enjoyed a very busy show which also highlighted all the principal existing products from Robe and Anolis.
The new products included the DigitalSpot 3000 DT, which combines an LED-based wash light with a digital moving light projector. The fixture emits 2,700 ANSI lumens from a single 200W projection lamp and has a contrast ratio of 2,000:1, which is now available in an affordable and compact package featuring an additional REDWash Module from Robe's RED (Robe Emitted Diodes) Series.
Also new is the DigitalSpot 7000 DT, ROBE's new flagship digital moving light projector, based on LCD technology. The fixture emits 6,500 ANSI lumens from a single 330W projection lamp and is loaded with new and exciting parameters from its graphics engine and motorized fixture layout.
The new DreamBox is a multi-functional tool box with two DMX ports and one USB 2.0 port that communicates with a PC or laptop via USB. With additional ROBE software, the DreamBox provides fixture software updates, DMX Control and RDM (Remote Device Management) - new control protocol featuring AutoPatch and Fixture Status Monitoring.
Robe took Frankfurt as the opportunity to launch its new RED (Robe Emitted Diodes) Series of fixtures. The first of these is the REDWash 3•192, a new moving head wash light, providing a rectangular light field with a narrow beam spread. This fixture offers a fresh approach to concert touring, TV, and event lighting applications, the company says.
The REDPar 3•84 is an LED-based PAR lighting fixture which comes with a standard beam angle of 12 degrees, plus 25- or 45-degree options. Its silent operation makes it an ideal tool for schools, smaller theatres, events of all types and club installs.
REDLine 3•48 is a linear LED lighting fixture in Robe's RED Technology Series, providing 48 powered Luxeon Rebel LEDs in a linear configuration.
Robe also launched three new power supplies in the RED Series - the REDPower 1•144, the REDPower 1•72 and the REDPower 1•36.
Josef Valchar of Robe, comments, "As always Prolight had a real buzz to it and proved a great opportunity to catch up with many of our distributors, customers and friends from around the industry."
www.robe.cz
www.ula.com.au

Studio Due CS4's for Rooty Hill RSL
When Craig Sandstrom, lighting technician at Rooty Hill RSL, first saw the marketing material for the Studio Due CS4, he developed a keen interest in the product.
After hiring two units to try out on a number of shows, the club then decided to invest in the purchase of four units.
Each CS4 unit consists of a bank of four moveable shortcans, each fitted with a 250w ray lamp.
“It is a very impressive fixture which can provide stabs of white through coloured wash stage lighting,” he explained. “Being able to move each can in various pan/tilt modes, as well as controlling movement and intensity using our consoles on board effects engine can create some really nice effects.
“Furthermore, you can add colour filters to the CS4’s,  as they have a gel frame which can be unscrewed, adding another dimension to their potential usage - mind you, the basic tungsten white is a classic look in itself.”
The CS4 moving fixtures are primarily used in the club’s Tivoli Showroom, a 630 seat auditorium highly regarded over many years for hosting live entertainment and providing quality production facilities.
Pictured are the four CS4’s in use at Rooty Hill RSL during a recent Doc Neeson’s Angels concert where two of the units were stood vertically on base plates towards the front/side of stage, whilst another two units were hung horizontally and low from some global trussing, rear of stage.
“Funnily enough, we left them up one weekend after a high-energy rock show”, said Craig. “The show the following night featured an internationally recognised Irish singer, who brought her own sound and lighting crew with her. When her lighting designer saw the CS4’s, he was keen to use them.
“Even though it wasn’t a rock gig, he used them very effectively in a lattice- type formation at the rear of the stage. It looked really nice as a permanent static crossing of lights behind the artists. I wouldn’t have imagined that the CS4’s would work in that situation, but they did.”
Craig has found that many visiting lighting crew are impressed by the CS4’s, and the fact that Rooty Hill RSL has had the forethought to add some to their inventory.
www.showtech.com.au

Mackay Entertainment Centre choose Robert Juliat
Towards the end of last year Mackay Entertainment Centre took delivery of a two Robert Juliat Topaze 1200W discharge follow spots.
Mackay Entertainment Centre Technical Department has proven itself to be one of the leaders in excellence in Queensland regional venues accommodating hundreds of performances/functions every year. The Entertainment Centre has a professional team of audio, lighting and stage technicians experienced in a comprehensive array of state of the art production technology. 
Shane Lomman, Head of the Lighting Department, had previously been working at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre where Robert Juliat Topaze follow spots were used and he had been hugely impressed by them.
“Mackay Entertainment Centre was using twelve-year old Selecon Performer follow spots when we got the budget to upgrade,” explained Shane. “Although I knew how great the Robert Juliat follow spots were, I still did the rounds to see what other suppliers and manufacturers had. However, in the end I couldn’t be swayed past the Robert Juliat fixtures and all the staff is thrilled by them.
“I personally like the internal frost arrangement and the dowser is very exciting to me; the rotary bar on the front control point is just perfect. You don’t have to take your hands off of the device to turn them on and off.”
Shane adds that the main selling point of the Topaze follow spots is their sensational light output and fantastic optics. The fact that the Topaze follow spots are considerably smaller than the Performer follow spots that they replaced was a welcome bonus.
”Because of where the Performer follow spots had to be positioned and the fact that they are such large units, a good proportion of the operator’s view of the stage would be obscured,” he reported. “Whereas with the Topaze units you can see around, over and under them so you have a better picture of the whole stage.
“The Topaze follow spots also pan and tilt really nicely in fact, all of the people who have operated them here have nothing but praise for them.”
www.showtech.com.au

Entertainment Installations purchase Martin Stagebar 54S LED fixtures
Entertainment Installations has purchased eight of the dynamic, new Martin Stagebar 54S LED fixtures. With their comprehensive colour range, all-in-one simplicity and tough temperament for the touring market, the Stagebar54 is fast becoming a popular choice among the professional lighting designers.
Show Technology’s Andrew Winslade demonstrated the new LED fixtures to the Entertainment Installations crew who were amazed by their brightness as well the versatility. Probably the most impressive feature Stagebar54 that was commented on was the colour rendering says Andrew.  There were a lot of ‘wow’ moments during the demonstration.
“They also have some really good features such as auto-addressing and they talk to each other through the Cat-5 cables,” commented Bryce Mace. “The colours are great and they are just so bright!”
Bryce Mace recently used the Stagebars at a gig for MySpace (pictured) on Cockatoo Island that featured Van She and Cut Copy. The fact that the Stagebar54 has comes complete with an adjustable floor stand as part of the fixture made them ideal in this application to be placed on the stage floor, mid-stage and pointing towards the audience in order to silhouette the bands.
“They provided a nice, punchy wash of colour and really cut through the rest of the lighting that I was using,” said Bryce. “I am really looking forward to using them on many of the different bands we get to work with. I haven’t rigged them on a truss yet but I’d like to in the near future.”
Whilst Bryce has had experience using the Stagebar54 for floodlighting surfaces and stages, he is no doubt looking forward to using them as a pixel bar for displaying imagery and video.
As well as the eight Stagebars, Bryce used six Pro Shop LED Honeycomb fixtures, Martin MAC250 Entours and MAC700 profiles.
www.showtech.com.au

CCPWA Purchase Barco SLite and Broadcast Camera system
Perth based Concert & Corporate Productions has recently purchased a large Barco SLite 10XP LED Display.
The system consists of 72 panels of SLite 10XP with all flying and ground stacking hardware, as well as 2x Barco DX700 LED Processors.
To complete the system CCP has also taken delivery of a Broadcast Camera and Control system the main items consisting of:
3x Sony DXC-D55WSPL Cameras with CA and CCU Triax control and Long and short lenses.
Grass Valley Indigo Vision Switcher.
Grass Valley Turbo IDDR Hard drive Recorder and Playback.
CCP’s General Manager Jerry Reinhardt says “the system was bought and specified to cover CCP’s increasing workload and demand for Large format LED Screens and Broadcast quality cameras in Outdoor concerts and Corporate events that CCP is responsible for in the West.”
The Screen and Camera System makes its joint debut on this years Leeuwin Estate Concert featuring Yvonne Kenny, David Hobson & the West Australian Symphony Orchestra with two 20 panel screens as well as the Lighting System and Design whilst simultaneously providing a 30 panel screen and Lighting system for the annual Joondalup Valentines Day Concert with Marcia Hines.
www.ccpwa.com

mondo*dr magazine seeks project news
mondo*dr magazine (the international publication for technology in entertainment) will be visiting Sydney in February to report on the latest audio and lighting installations in the city.
If you have been involved in any high-quality nightclub installations, completed over the last 10 months, the mondo*dr team would like to hear from you as soon as possible. To suggest a venue, contact the Editor, Pete Brewis, at p.brewis@mondiale.co.uk with a brief overview of the club (name, location, date opened and the technology installed). The most interesting/impressive clubs will be photographed and reviewed for a future issue of mondo*dr.
There is also a possibility that Pete will make a brief visit to Melbourne, so recommendations in this area are also welcome.
To find out more about mondo*dr, visit their stand (H11) at this year’s ENTECH (11-13 Feb 2008).

Brisbane Concert Lighting purchase Pro Shop LED Strips and MAC250s
Brisbane Concert Lighting has purchased twenty-four Pro Shop LED Strips for their hire department as well as six Martin MAC250 washes to add to the six they already had.
“The MAC250’s are compact, lightweight and very bright – ideal for a hire department,” commented Sam Walther. “There are a lot of applications that we can use them on instead of the MAC600’s.”
BCL were also looking for some LED product to add to their inventory but were dismayed at the high price of most products until the Pro Shop LED Strips came into the market.
“Initially we bought just a couple to try out and we loved them so we bought more!” said Sam. “They’ve been really popular with the lighting designers in our office.”
The first major gig that the LED Strips were used on was the inaugural Caloundra Music Festival featuring Jimmy Barnes, Vanessa Amorosi, Daryl Braithwaite, Shawn Mullins, Tripod, Richard Clapton, Mental as Anything and Mark Seymour along with many other local acts.
BCL provided lighting and AV requirements including 12 x MAC600, 6 x MAC250 Wash, 12 x MAC250 Krypton, 16 x LED Strip, 2 x Studio Due CityColors alongside a rig of conventionals.
At Unite 2007, an event held by the Queensland Baptist Church at Northside Christian Church, BCL provided a rig of moving lights, LED strips and truss to compliment the existing in house system of conventional fixtures. The LED strips were rigged on ground supported truss uprights and circles, which created some really nice effects.
“We were amazed by the output from the LED Strips,” said Sam. “In fact we were blown away by how bright they were. At the Caloundra Music Festival we used sixteen of them and they lit right up the hill!”
www.showtech.com.au

Martin Professional receives LED development grant
Martin Professional has been awarded a technology grant from the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation (H°jteknologifonden) for the development of new LED technologies. The project, called INLED (Intelligent Light Emitting Diodes), is a cooperation between Martin Professional A/S, Denmark's Aalborg University, and the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.
Martin Professional will receive approximately $3 million in funding from the research foundation, with an additional $2 million to be added by Martin and $1 million from Aalborg University. The three-year, six million USD project will run through the end of 2010.
The goal of INLED is to develop new technologies for LED based fixtures as substitutes for existing more inefficient technologies, including improvements in optical systems, colour mixing, output, control, heat management and energy use. The aim is to achieve a radical improvement in light quality.
Finn Jäger-Rasmussen, head of R&D at Martin Professional, comments: "We will continue to see a reduction in the use of discharge and incandescent lamps as LED technology gives us many environmental advantages. The grant will allow us to produce optimal LED solutions for use in our applications while also funding basic research in LED. Our goal is to develop a highly efficient product with full colour mixing in which the loss of energy is as small as possible."
Christian Engsted, CEO of Martin Professional, adds: "This initiative further emphasizes Martin's desire to lead the development and set the standards within our industry as well as our commitment to continue to improve lighting efficiency to benefit the environment."
The aim of the Foundation's grant programme is long-term development of novel, ground-breaking technology that will enable the participating companies to embark on various new business activities that lead to a radical leap within the involved sectors of industry.
The Danish government aims at making Denmark one of the world's leading advanced-technological societies. Consequently, the Danish government founded the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation, whose general objective is to enhance growth and strengthen employment by supporting strategic and advanced technological priorities within the fields of research and innovation.
Source L&SI Online www.lsionline.co.uk
www.martin.com
Australian Distributor: Show Technology www.showtech.com.au